04. 12. 2013

ANEM: IT IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR THE REPUBLIC BROADCASTING AGENCY TO INTERFERE WITH THE EDITORIAL POLICY OF RTV VOJVODINA AND RADIO B92

Belgrade, 4 December 2013 - The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly protests the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency's decision to issue a public warning to the Public Service Broadcaster of Vojvodina and Radio B92. ANEM considers that the Council's decision has overstepped the boundary between monitoring the activities of broadcasters - which is a part of its mandate in accordance with the Law on Broadcasting - and unacceptable limiting of the freedom of expression and interference with the editorial policy of the media.

The Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) has issued a warning to Radio-Television Vojvodina because of the manner in which an interview with a politician from Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, was conducted. The RRA has not criticized the fact that the interview - made with inadequate simultaneous translation of the interviewee's words - was broadcast at all despite the journalist in question himself admitting that he could not understand everything that was said in the course of the interview. In fact, the Council of the RRA issued a warning to RTV Vojvodina because its journalist did not oppose his interviewee by asking her additional questions. ANEM reminds that the European Court of Human Rights in its well-known case Yersild vs. Denmark has decided that "... methods of objective and balanced reporting can vary significantly, depending - among other things - on the media in question. It is not possible for this Court, nor national courts, to impose any manner of reporting on journalists to adopt." Without any doubt, this decision obliges the Council of the RRA not to impose any manner of reporting on the public service broadcaster or any other media outlet, dictating journalists how to ask questions or how to continually oppose their interviewees. ANEM points out that reporting based on interviews is one of the most important tools of the media in realizing their fundamental role in a democratic society. Issuance of warnings to journalists or and media outlet for broadcasting statements made by individuals during interviews constitutes impermissible interference with the freedom of expression because it limits the ability of the media to make a contribution to the necessary debate on issues public importance.

It is equally objectionable that the Council has decided to issue a public warning to an ANEM member, Radio B92, because its entertainment programme had aired a satirical report with previously mixed and edited segments of the news originally broadcast by the public service broadcaster, RTS, during which the listeners found out that „the Government ... has decided to relieve of his duty ... President Nikolic, who used to solicit young boys for former Bishop Vasilije Kacavenda."

At the same time, the Council of RRA has analyzed the controversial statement completely out of context of the aired satirical report dealing with the several months-long process of reconstruction of the Government of Serbia. In fact, the radio station unambiguously emphasized during the airing that the programme consisted of an edited collage made of a previously broadcast material, including among other things 'news' saying that post-reconstruction, the Government had „18 ministries", such as "the Ministry of Stomachache, the Ministry of the all-Chinese National Congress, the Ministry of Corruption, the Ministry of Tra-la-la, and the Ministry of Novak Djokovic", and that the Government, whose goal was to "give as many ministerial positions to the Socialist Party of Serbia, "had decided to relieve of his duty ... President Nikolic, who used to solicit young boys for former Bishop Vasilije Kacavenda."

The listeners of the radio programme have obviously understood what the satire was about and no one except the Programme Monitoring Department and Council of the RRA has perceived it as "extremist" or "insulting" because it allegedly mentioned the President of the Republic in the context of a "serious criminal offense against children", which is evidenced by that fact that Radio B92 and RRA itself have not received a single complaint from listeners and that RRA began the proceedings at its own initiative. The Council of the RRA felt itself obliged to protect the President of the Republic in a situation which had not constituted any kind of attack on him. In this way, the Council has outdid even the well-known verdict by the Higher Court in Cacak and the Court of Appeals in Kragujevac which sentenced Stojan Markovic, the editor of the newspaper Cacanske Novine, who was sued by Velimir Ilic, because of publishing a satirical piece which "did not contain enough true facts".

ANEM calls on the Republic Broadcasting Agency to reconsider these controversial decisions and to direct its efforts toward creating conditions for development of such media scene in Serbia that is needed by a democratic society, instead of taking problematic measures that interfere with the editorial policy of the media and limit the freedom of expression.

ANEM President, Milorad Tadic