SMCG: The sentence related to balanced reporting of the Public Service was missing from the EC Report

It is noticeable that this year from the Report of the European Commission (EC) the sentence related to the balanced reporting of the Public Service was missing, which was persistently used throughout the year by the management of the Radio Television of Montenegro (RTCG), concealing the rest of the Report that referred to the criticism of the way of which the head of state-financed media is elected, the Media Union of Montenegro (SMCG) announced today.

"The report of the European Commission, which recognized the lack of social dialogue and collective agreements in the media, poor working conditions in Montenegrin newsrooms, and pressures coming from many sides and leading to censorship and self-censorship, in addition to traditional security issues, fully confirmed everything on which the Media Union of Montenegro persistently points out when it comes to the freedom of the media and the working conditions in them. general director, which is discussed in the Report, it is clear that there is still a long way to free and politically free media", the announcement emphasizes.

SMCG added that they welcome the attention paid to collective bargaining in the Report, emphasizing that it happens mostly at the national level and that "some important sectors are still without collective agreements, such as the banking sector and the media".

"We remind you that the adoption of the branch collective agreement is one of the obligations from the Media Strategy, but that SMCG, despite several attempts, failed to convince the employers that this document must be negotiated and signed. It is also noticeable that this year the sentence related to to the balanced reporting of the Public Service, which was persistently used throughout the year by the management of RTCG, concealing the rest of the Report, which referred to the criticism of the way in which the head of the state-funded media is chosen." it is written in the announcement.

From SMCG they stated that now, through one of the recommendations, it is clearly written that "the Public Service should be protected from any inappropriate influence on editorial, institutional or financial independence and that RTCG should fully respect the law and the highest standards of professional integrity and responsibility".

SMCG said that the other two recommendations refer to the continuation of providing timely and effective protection to journalists, through law enforcement and protection from all forms of violence.

"Also, the authorities should investigate and legally solve key old cases as a priority, as well as ensure the consistent application of all media-related laws and adhere to a policy of zero tolerance towards any form of pressure or harassment of journalists, including those by public officials. We remind you that no the old case was not solved, and there are cases of attacks on journalists in our database www.safejournalists.net this year, four cases were recorded, the culprits of which are high-ranking politicians. We also hope that the competent institutions will finally deal with the information stated in the Report, which relates to the weak response of the public sector and the media when it comes to reporting public money paid to the media based on advertising and marketing," said the SMCG.