Self-censorship is one of the major problems of the media in Montenegro, because journalists often identify themselves with the views of the media companies they work for, it was assessed at the round table "Media freedom-situation and challenges", which was held today in Podgorica.
At the discussion, which was based on research by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) on the state of the media in Montenegro, Professor Miloš Bešić said that the mechanism of self-censorship is as characteristic of journalism as it is of other professions.
"When an individual works and functions in a medium, he accepts that discourse as his own and then unconsciously carries out a process of self-censorship, in a way that deciphers the meanings that define him and the existence of his medium in the existing political structure," explained Bešić.
According to him, if we compare the attitudes of Pobjeda employees, there is almost no difference, and the same would be the case with the employees of Vijesti daily.
"This tells me that this kind of perceptive and habitual identification with the organization and acceptance of the organization's political discourse, voluntarily or not, largely determines the attitudes of the journalists themselves," said Bešić.
Parties in Montenegro often accuse and put pressure on the media
Accusation and pressure exerted by parties on the media is the most common form of endangering media freedom, the results of the research by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) showed.
The research, which was organized by the OSCE mission in Montenegro, was presented at the round table Freedom of the media - situation and challenges.
Methodologist Miloš Bešić from CEDEM said that in addition to party pressure on the media, there are other serious forms of endangering media freedom.
"In addition to the pressure from the parties, there are also denials of the right to information of public importance, accusations and pressure from the authorities and accusations from other media," he said.
"In addition to the pressure from the parties, there are also denials of the right to information of public importance, accusations and pressure from the authorities and accusations from other media," he said.
The research showed that, based on the experience of employees in the media, since 2007, there has been a cumulative increase in violations of media rights and freedoms every year.
Threats and attacks are frequent
Bešić said that the problem of threats and attacks on journalists by media employees is perceived as a serious problem.
"Journalists see this problem as more significant than editors, and the difference in terms of the seriousness of the problem is significantly greater in private compared to state media", he explained.
Bešić stated that 73 percent of employees in private media evaluate media freedom negatively.
Bešić stated that 73 percent of employees in private media evaluate media freedom negatively.
"The legal treatment of an attack on a journalist as an attack on an official in the performance of his duties is the best-rated measure that would improve media freedom," said Bešić.
The problem of threats and attacks on journalists is perceived by more than 70 percent of employees in the media as a serious problem.
They publish the threat in their media
Bešić said that 63 percent of respondents took action regarding media freedom violations.
"When there is a threat to media rights and freedoms, the media first in almost all cases announce it on their media. The second most frequent activity is reporting to the competent state authorities, then informing professional organizations and associations," said Bešić.
Of the 43 editors in our sample, the editors of Vijesti, Dana and Monitor reported that some politician or official had sued their media.
"Of the 43 editors in our sample, the editors of Vijesti, Dana and Monitor reported that some politician or official sued their media. When asked how many times this happened, only one editor stated that it was 15 times, and the other two did not specify how many times this happened," said Bešić.
He added that in the last five years, three editors reported that there were final judgments passed against their media.
"One reported one, and two reported ten verdicts each. However, none of them reported the total sum of the judgments," explained Bešić.
They are not members of the association
He announced that the largest number of journalists are not members of journalists' associations. "The weak organization of the association and low professional credibility are most often cited as reasons".
"When it comes to business conditions, 42 percent of respondents believe that private media have better business conditions, and 37 percent point out that state media have worse business conditions," said Bešić.
"The code of ethics, as a guardian of professional standards, must be applied correctly and consistently," he said.
"Journalists should be free to investigate issues of national importance. In this regard, Montenegro has made a step forward by decriminalizing slander and insult," he added.
Adomavičius assessed that compliance with professional standards and media ethics is a challenge.
"The code of ethics, as a guardian of professional standards, must be applied correctly and consistently," he said.
Gallery
Bonus video:
