Montenegro has influential media companies and editorial policies that enable citizens to be comprehensively informed about all important topics, but there are no journalists whose incomes correspond to their role in society, said the Director General of the Directorate for Media in the Ministry of Culture and Media, Neđeljko Rudović.
Rudović told the MINA agency that media freedom in Montenegro has improved, but that a climate should be created in which pressure, threats, disparagement, let alone any attacks on journalists, are not tolerated.
Speaking about Amnesty International's report, which also assessed that media freedom in Montenegro had improved, he said that one of the criteria for that assessment was the acquittal of investigative journalist Jov Martinović.
Rudović pointed out that the document warns that cases of severe attacks on journalists in the past, starting with the murder of Duško Jovanović, have not yet been clarified.
"In this regard, all of us have a great responsibility, from investigative and judicial authorities to all public actors, because it is necessary to create a climate in which pressure, threats, disparagement, let alone any attacks on journalists, are not tolerated," he said. Rudovic.
He said that one cannot talk about a free society without free journalism.
"Just as we cannot talk about an orderly society, based on the rule of law, without professional journalism," said Rudović.
When asked how much has been done to improve the media scene, he said that the Ministry of Culture and Media developed a partnership with the media community, independent regulators and civil society organizations when designing public policies in the area of media.
"The result is the adoption of the Media Strategy of Montenegro 2023-2027, the first such document which obliges us to work together on strengthening the professionalism of the media, both public services and commercial media, on their financial sustainability and better status of employees, safety of journalists, functional independence of regulators, financial and editorial independence of public services", said Rudović.
According to him, the biggest challenge is defining the answer to the problem that threatens the foundations of every healthy society, which is the spread of hate speech, misinformation and online violence.
Rudović stated that all steps in this direction are defined in the Action Plan for this year.
"We have a lot of obligations at the end of this year as well. We need to define an action plan for the next two years", said Rudović and added that they were simultaneously working on new media laws, which bring over 20 essential steps forward compared to current norms.
Speaking about the standard of journalists, Rudović said that when they were preparing the Media Strategy, they contacted all active media outlets, of which there are around 180, and received information from them that there are around 2,2 thousand journalists, photojournalists, videographers working in the Montenegrin media.
He said that the average salary in the media is below the average salary in Montenegro and that this indicates that the media industry is in crisis.
"I have no doubt that in Montenegro we have true media pluralism, influential media houses and editorial policies that allow us to be comprehensively informed about all important topics, but we do not have journalists who are satisfied with their earnings, we do not have journalists whose income corresponds to their role in society". pointed out Rudović.
He pointed out that the size of the market is a limiting factor and that it is therefore important to define ways to preserve the media scene and ensure the production of content of public interest.
"In the past three years, over two million euros have been distributed to commercial media through the Fund for Media Pluralism, and based on a competition," said Rudović and added that, according to the new law on media, this amount will be distributed on an annual basis, because the Fund increased by more than 100 percent.
He said that journalists must be preserved in the profession, as well as that journalism must once again become an attractive calling for young people.
"It seems to me that the recent trend is for journalists to look for their place in other professions, which is a long-term threat to the public interest," Rudović said, adding that the responsibility lies with the founders of the media, but also with the state.
He said that the measures defined in the Media Strategy and the new media laws would contribute to improving the material status of journalists, but also that the agreement on the branch collective agreement would be an important link.
When it comes to the set of media laws, Rudović said that on March 12 they received the final recommendations of the experts of the Council of Europe and that they expect the opinion of the European Commission very soon.
He said that last week the team led by Minister Tamara Vujović was in Brussels, where they received strong hints that the opinion of the EC would be positive.
"This will enable us to have the media laws very quickly discussed in the Government and sent for consideration and adoption in the Parliament of Montenegro," said Rudović.
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