Media associations send protest letter

Four Serbian journalist associations today expressed their protest over parliament's failure to elect a new member of RRA. MPs yesterday did not elect either of the two candidates for the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) Council membership nominated by the media and journalists’ associations. Media associations send protest letter In a statement signed by Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) President Sasa Mirkovic, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) and the Association of Professional Broadcasters of Serbia (APRES) strongly protested this development. Neither Gordana Susa nor Milan Becejic received enough votes during the voting in parliament on Monday in Belgrade, with Susa getting 120 out of 126 votes necessary for the appointment. "The fact that neither of the two candidates from the list proposed by the media and journalists’ associations has won a necessary majority to be appointed to the Council, demonstrates the extent of the government's distrust towards the media sector and media and journalists’ associations, as well as its unwillingness to respect the will of these associations, at least to appoint a candidate from their list as one of nine members to the Council," the ANEM statement said. "After the recent adoption of the Law on Amendments to the Law on Broadcasting and the Law on Public Information that was strongly criticized by media associations, this kind of disrespect for the opinion of the representatives of the media sector threatens to further widen the rift between the government and the media." ANEM, NUNS, NDNV and APRES point out that the mandate of two members of the RBA Council, Slobodan Djoric and Velimir Milosevic ended on February 18, while, after the previous failure to appoint new Council members, parliament has even amended the Law on Broadcasting in May. "NUNS and ANEM have criticized the amendments to the Law because they allow the Parliament Culture and Information Committee to perform a pre-selection of candidates if the authorized proposers cannot agree on a list with only two names. At the time, the National Parliament replied that the Culture and Information Committee would not interfere with the process of creation of candidates' lists if the media professionals could agree on two candidates. Now, after the media and journalists’ associations have agreed on two candidates, the National Parliament appointed neither," the statement concludes.

Media associations send protest letter

In a statement signed by Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) President Saša Mirković, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) and the Association of Professional Broadcasters of Serbia (APRES) strongly protested this development.

Neither Gordana Suša nor Milan Bečejić received enough votes during the voting in parliament on Monday in Belgrade, with Suša getting 120 out of 126 votes necessary for the appointment.

"The fact that neither of the two candidates from the list proposed by the media and journalists’ associations has won a necessary majority to be appointed to the Council, demonstrates the extent of the government's distrust towards the media sector and media and journalists’ associations, as well as its unwillingness to respect the will of these associations, at least to appoint a candidate from their list as one of nine members to the Council," the ANEM statement said.

"After the recent adoption of the Law on Amendments to the Law on Broadcasting and the Law on Public Information that was strongly criticized by media associations, this kind of disrespect for the opinion of the representatives of the media sector threatens to further widen the rift between the government and the media."

ANEM, NUNS, NDNV and APRES point out that the mandate of two members of the RBA Council, Slobodan Đorić and Velimir Milošević ended on February 18, while, after the previous failure to appoint new Council members, parliament has even amended the Law on Broadcasting in May.

"NUNS and ANEM have criticized the amendments to the Law because they allow the Parliament Culture and Information Committee to perform a pre-selection of candidates if the authorized proposers cannot agree on a list with only two names. At the time, the National Parliament replied that the Culture and Information Committee would not interfere with the process of creation of candidates' lists if the media professionals could agree on two candidates. Now, after the media and journalists’ associations have agreed on two candidates, the National Parliament appointed neither," the statement concludes.