HRT to Fire Journalist for Criticising Ruling Party Leader?

Criticising people in power can get you in trouble if you work for the Croatian “independent” public broadcaster.

On Wednesday evening, the leadership of the Croatian Radio Television (HRT) commented on the initiated process of firing Milorad Šikanjić, a journalist and editor at Croatian Radio, for alleged hate speech during a radio show in which he criticised HNS president Ivan Vrdoljak. In its statement, HRT said that “it never comments on labour relations and issues connected with them,” reports Novi List on December 27, 2017.

However, the HINA news agency has received unofficial confirmation from sources close to HRT’s leadership that the process of extraordinary dismissal against Šikanjić was launched last week for alleged hate speech, after he took part in a radio show in which he criticised the return of Ivan Vrdoljak as president of the Croatian People’s Party (HNS), the junior partner in the ruling coalition.

The most controversial statement, according to the HRT leadership, was Šikanjić’s view that Vrdoljak was “a political corpse” and a leader of a clientelist political party. Šikanjić said this while reminding listeners that Vrdoljak was negotiating a coalition with HDZ during the terms of former HDZ president Tomislav Karamarko and former Prime Minister Tihomir Oreškovič, although Vrdoljak vehemently denied such reports at the time.

“When you, who were considered to be a liberal and entered the Parliament as part of SDP’s candidate list, deceive voters, you are politically dead in my opinion. In any case, you are a political corpse. Simply put, when you are morally dead, then you are a moral corpse. That is what Vrdoljak and all those who support him will stink of,” said Šikanjić during the show broadcast on 19 December.

Shortly after the broadcast, HNS sent a letter to the public broadcaster which made HRT leadership conclude that Šikanjić used inappropriate expressions – hate speech. As part of the dismissal proceedings, Šikanjić has allegedly already put forward his defence, claiming that he was expressing his opinion and not using hate speech.

Milorad Šikanjić is an experienced journalist. He started his career at HINA and in 1998 became the first spokesperson of the Croatian Market Competition Agency. Since 2003, he has been working for the news division of the Croatian Radio, and until recently he was one of the editors of a news programme which won the award for the best radio show in Croatia in 2015. As a political commentator, he has been a regular guest on HRT shows.

Translated from Novi List.

 

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