ZAGREB, March 2, 2019 – We are reporters who want to work in public interest and not be anyone’s extended arm of this, or any previous or future government, Hrvoje Zovko, the president of the Croatian Journalists Association (HND) said in front of Government House where representatives of the association read the eight demands they put to the government.
After expressing their disgruntlement in front of the Ministry of Culture and the University of Zagreb and City Offices, sending a message to Mayor Milan Bandić that they “are not immune to his insults” and attempts to belittle reporters, more than a thousand protesters marching under the slogan, “You confiscated the media, we won’t give journalism!”, gathered outside Government House.
Addressing the rally, Zovko says that although Croatia is a parliamentary democracy, the place where decisions are made and power is, is in the government, “unfortunately the parliament is too weak and the government is too powerful.”
He underscored that reporters wanted to inform the government that it has to change its treatment of reporters and the media and to enable journalists to do their job in normal conditions.
“We aren’t dramatising anything nor are we sweet. In any case this is an issue of all Croatian citizens. This isn’t just an issue for us reporters,” Zovko said and then read their demands against censorship.
The demands among other things call for current lawsuits to be withdrawn, for legal protection to be provided for reporters who warn of the pressure they are exposed to, for the the Electronic Media Council to be depoliticised, for HRT’s management to be dismissed and for urgent amendments to the HRT Law.
Apart from that, the HND demands that the Law on the Media be implemented, local power-wielders who usurp the media to be stopped, and that attackers on reporters be identified and brought to justice.
Due to the “devastation of the national broadcaster’s programme and personnel, the promotion of defeated ideologies, suspect spending of public money and lawsuits against reporters and the media,” the protesters called for HRT’s management to be dismissed and for the urgent amendment of the Law on HRT, “which as a public media broadcaster is being used as a service for the political majority instead of public interest.”
“We demand that HRT be independent of those in power and that its reporters are allowed to freely do their job,” HND said and called for cessation of the long-standing practice of ignoring or breaching the Law on the Media.
The nongovernmental organisation Transparency International Croatia (TIH) supported the protest rally organised by journalists in Zagreb on Saturday, saying in a statement that it was necessary to ensure conditions for quality journalism “which does not exist in Croatia today.”
“Journalists must feel secure in performing their profession. Above all, they must have employment contracts so they can be independent and free in doing their work responsibly. Low pay and job insecurity force them to neglect their profession for the benefit of media owners,” TIH said.
It warned that journalism in Croatia today “is reduced to marginalising important social topics” because journalists are mostly forced to report on political showdowns and criminal cases which are then discussed for days.
“Day-to-day reporting on these negativities has led to the increased discontent of the public and to a decline of their confidence in political institutions and politicians and in their future in their own country,” TIH said.
Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardić, who joined protesting reporters on Saturday, said that today “reporters in Croatia are spending more time in courtrooms than in their editorial rooms,” and added that it was unacceptable for freedom of speech and the media to be increasingly deteriorating each year.
“More than a thousand journalists in Croatia are involved in court proceedings. In fact, they are more frequently in courtrooms than their editorial rooms. That is disastrous and just an indicator that freedom of speech in Croatia and the situation with media freedom is deteriorating more and more each year,” Bernardić underscored.
He said that the protest’s slogan, “You confiscated the media, we won’t give you journalism,” was the best message to the government.
Asked what needs to be changed in the future to improve the situation, Bernardic said that it was necessary to depoliticise the national broadcaster, HRT, and to not allow political influence on that public service.
“Apart from that, it is necessary to prevent the use of the possibility of lawsuits to the detriment of reporters. It is necessary to depoliticise the Council for Electronic Media and to take heed of all of HND’s demands. That is why I am here today as a sign of solidarity with protesting reporters in Croatia,” he said.
More news on the media freedom in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.
