Russians, Serbs, fugitive bankers and other enemies of the state do not give up their attempts to destabilize the democratic, small country, under the leadership of the righteous Milo Đukanović. This is what every feature, Dnevnik, show, and even a break on RTCG tells us. Nothing strange, some would say, that's what television occupied by the government looks like. These are, in fact, the results of the action of the DPS and part of the institutions from last fall, when they purged the ineligible from the RTCG Council. We released, we are watching.
This week's show though Arguments, from whom nothing else was expected but to defend the government from accidentally falling, managed to surprise part of the public. I guess that was a lot even for RTCG. From the moment when, at the very beginning of the show, journalist Nataša Mitrović clarified that she and her guests would try to answer - who has an interest in destabilizing Montenegro, it was clear what kind of objective journalism was in store for the next hour and a half. However, few expected that a work that smells exactly like the nineties would follow. Political analyst Ranko Đonović, Zorica Kalezić, member of the Council of the Central Bank (CBCG) and Nikola Samardžić, professor of history from Belgrade explained to us that everything is perfect in the country and that is why the Russians and other enemies want to spoil our idyll, with the help of Duško Knežević and the local media who do not practice RTCG journalism. The presenter's questions and the contributions that were played during the show were clear - Milo Đukanović is innocent. Evidence: statements by Milo Đukanović.
Reactions followed the show. Chairman of the Board of the Alternative Institute Stevo Muk assessed that the intimidation of citizens continued in the show Arguments as he said, the so-called public service RTCG, occupied in 2018 by DPS.
"One of the blackest in a series of black days for the public service. Dozens of questions that look like answers, and answers that see the explanation of everything in Russia, and without Milo and DPS they cannot imagine Montenegro or the citizens of Montenegro alive and well," he wrote on his Facebook profile. In the show, he noted is Muk, went so far as to present Bosnia, Syria, war and columns of refugees from Montenegro as the only alternative to the current state of affairs: "Only because the democratic public demands an investigation into the illegal financing of the ruling party, the truth about the first million President of Montenegro and the release state institutions from the shackles of one party and one man. A show that should be shown to journalism students". Unfortunately, local journalism students will not be able to listen to those lessons at the Podgorica department for some time, bearing in mind the lecturers there, among whom are the stalwarts of Đukanović's propaganda.
That the RTCG program is reminiscent of the nineties for Monitor says Goran Đurović, a former member of the RTCG Council, who was removed from that body last fall, in order to Bastille could intimidate us unhindered.
"The respect for professional standards in the RTCG is at the level of the wartime 90s," he says. "Dnevnik 2 is once again a space for dealing with critics of the government, and through specialized shows, with the participation of guests from the country and abroad, only the views of the ruling political party are conveyed. The space for expressing a different opinion has been reduced to a minimum, while affairs concerning the work of institutions and the most powerful political figures in the country multiply day by day.
According to Đurović, the difference is that, as he says, fortunately, in the meantime, private media have registered in Montenegro, which, with the all-powerful Internet, manage to replace the role of the public service. "Repetition of the same propagandistic approach of the RTCG, which was practiced in the wartime 90s, does not produce the expected results today. In the 90s, citizens predominantly trusted RTCG, and today, according to official research, the level of trust is worse than in 2012. The decline of trust in RTCG is becoming more certain every day and is a natural reaction to the brutal violation of professional standards".
According to him, the RTCG Council and the general director are formally responsible for this state of affairs in the public service.
"Citizens should know that they are paying for this so-called public service led by the Council in which they are: Ivan Jovetić, Dragana Tripković, Slobo Pajović, Igor Tomić, Goran Sekulović, Mimo Drašković, Vladimir Pavićević, Perko Vukotić and Milan Radović. These people are doing nothing to stop RTCG's floundering. These 9 people allow the general director Božidar Šundić to implement what he asked the editors in the news program in 2016 - to exclusively report positively on the work of the Government of Montenegro and the authorities".
Đurović specifically accuses members of that body from the civil sector. "Unfortunately, there is no public reaction from the RTCG Council, at least from one member of this body. All members of the Council are silent and some, such as Milan Radović, are collecting the support of NGOs for the new mandate in this body. New mandates for new silence," he says.
Council member Milan Radović (Civil Alliance) did not want to Monitor to respond to Đurović's accusations, that is, to questions regarding what that body does, and especially representatives of the civil sector, when it comes to the RTCG program.
Radović is in the recently opened public controversy about whether representatives of the civil sector should participate in the upcoming one ,,already arranged in advance the process of appointing members of the RTCG Council, with a known outcome", advocated the position that, "it is very important that representatives of civil society be members of the Council and be part of the process, even in a situation when those who want democratic progress do not have a majority for decision-making". However, we have not been able to find out from Radović what the current benefits are for the citizens from their presence there.
What their contribution will be if the current draft of amendments to the RTCG law is adopted in the part that refers to the method of selecting members of the Council from the civil sector, is a separate question. According to relevant assessments, this solution is a step backwards when it comes to the autonomy of the members of that body.
This opinion is shared by the experts of the Council of Europe who gave their opinion on the Draft Law on Public Service: "The new Law on the National Public Broadcaster Radio and Television of Montenegro ("the Law") would result in a serious deterioration of the independence of the national public broadcaster and it can be said that is misunderstood; the current law is much better aligned with European standards. The authors therefore recommend that the Act be rejected and that the current law remain in force until a limited number of minor amendments are introduced, in accordance with this Analysis”.
It is hard to imagine that the current RTCG program can get worse, but at least the laws should be preserved.
Bonus video:
