11. 08. 2015
THE COALITION: THE CITY OF ZRENJANIN MUST CONFORM THE OPEN COMPETITION WITH THE LAW
Belgrade, 11/8/2015 - The Coalition of Journalist and Media Association consisting of UNS, NUNS, NDNV, ANEM and Lokal Pres has requested from the authorities in Zrenjanin to conform the open competition for the co-financing the production of media content to the Law on Public Information and Media and the Rulebook on the co-financing of projects for the realization of public interest in the field of Public Information.
The City of Zrenjanin has issued a public call for participating in the open competition for co-financing projects for the realization of public interest in the field of public information through electronic media on the territory of the City of Zrenjanin in 2015, where the right to participation, contrary to the Law on Public Information and Media, is limited only to those electronic media and media that are seated on the territory of the City of Zrenjanin and whose programming has been accessible on the territory of the City in the previous 25 years. In addition, the public interest in the field of public information is related to the coverage of activities of public authorities. This is the wrong perception of public interest as referred to in Article 15 of the Law, while the criteria for the allocation of funds are set in a discriminatory way, since it places in a more favorable position media that have 60-minute news bulletins and live broadcasts of the sessions of the local assembly.
The Coalition said that the media coverage of the activities of local government is merely a negligible segment of the public interest and if it serves the sole purpose of promoting the local authorities, then it does not meet the definition of public interest as provided for in Article 15 of the Law. We remind that the live broadcasts of the local authorities, including the local assembly, are not an obligation of the media, whereas the public interest in the field of public media also includes the production of media content, enabling the citizens to receive objective, unbiased and timely information about all the necessary aspects of life in the local community.
The competition is to a large extent set so as to realize the "public interest" by enabling to a specific media outlet to broadcast the activity of local authorities, as evidenced in the concrete situation by the fact that the competition was requested by an electronic media outlet, which has been registered in Zrenjanin for 25 years and which airs a total of 60 minutes of news on daily basis, including the broadcasts of "Developments and activities organized by the Zrenjanin City Assembly and the Zrenjanin City Council. We remind that, pursuant Article 17 of the Law on Public Information and Media, the public authorities are obligated to allocate funds for the realization of public interest on the basis of open competitions, under the principle of allocating state aid and protection of competition, without discrimination. Meanwhile, Article 21 of the same Law prescribes that eligible to participate in the competition is every media publisher that is registered with the Media Register and the legal person or entrepreneur engaged in the production of media content (which entrepreneur and publisher must submit proof that the co-financed media content will be realized through the media). Not allowed to participate are the publishers whose media are not registered with the Register, as well as those funded from public revenues. Therefore, the provisions of the competition may not deny to the media their statutory right to compete with their projects. In that sense, placing certain media in a more favorable position at the detriment of others constitutes a direct violation of the provisions of the aforementioned articles of the Law.
The Coalition of Journalist and Media Associations has informed the local government in Zrenjanin about all irregularities of the competition and it expects it to conform the competition to the regulations.
The Coalition reminds that it will not participate in the procedures that are not conformed to regulations and that it will not propose candidates for commissions in local governments that have shunned the Law.
The Coalition of Journalist and Media Associations will inform the Ministry of Culture and Media about all identified irregularities after the monitoring of the competitions for project co-financing of media content,.
The Coalition of Journalist and Media Associations:
Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS)
Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS)
Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV)
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)
Business Association Local Press
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