There are currently 222 media outlets in Montenegro that employ 2.000 people, and the worst working conditions are in local public broadcasters and online media.
Marijana Camović Veličković, vice-president and researcher of the Media Union of Montenegro, said this during the presentation of the "Journalist Safety Index in Montenegro 2022".
She said that Montenegro is the third country in the region in terms of safety and security of journalists.
"Even the best-rated country (Croatia) in the Balkans did not reach the top four. There is a noticeable improvement in the safety of journalists. There were no changes when it comes to the protection of journalists against defamation. The research showed that judges are familiar with the implications of journalistic practice and that they do not make the punishment more difficult. Journalists and the media are the ones suing the competition. During 2022, there were no verdicts in which the prosecutors were influential politicians," Camović Veličković said.
She said that there were no cases in which authorities required journalists to release their sources of information and hand over their work computers.
"Individual media have been criticized from the biggest state addresses, because their interests do not coincide. The rights of journalists are threatened during protest reporting. Disruption of their reporting has become frequent. The socio-economic position of media workers has experienced modest progress," Camović Veličković said.
She pointed out that hate speech is occurring more and more often and is often directed at journalists.
"Two female journalists have continuous police protection due to threats. When it comes to threats to their lives, progress has been registered and the number of reports has decreased. The number of death threats is also lower. It is noticeable that intimidation of journalists is more frequent," Camović Veličković said.
She emphasized that state authorities are late in reacting to protect journalists, adding that online threats are "increasing rapidly".
The President of the Media Union of Montenegro, Radomir Kračković, said that "the Safety Index monitors changes in society that have an impact on the safety of journalists and actors when performing their work."
"The index is based on the evidence we analyzed. The research provides an overview of the situation in Montenegro for 2022. The problem of attacks on journalists and their safety is still present. Last year it was big, and this year it was smaller, and we have worrying trends such as threats on the Internet The position of female journalists is also problematic...", Kračković said.
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