Montenegro faces a significant journey towards harmonizing media legislation with European standards and strengthening ethical, responsible and investigative journalism, which serves the public interest and contributes to the protection of human rights and democracy.
This, as announced by the PR Center, was assessed at the event "Awards for Ethical Reporting and Conversations with Journalists", organized by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM).
CEDEM Director Nevenka Vuksanović said that, according to the latest European Commission report on Montenegro, the country faces a significant journey towards harmonizing media legislation and practices that should protect the integrity of editorial offices and journalistic sources.
"The European Commission's report clearly states that Montenegro has a major task ahead of it - harmonizing media legislation and implementing standards that fully protect the integrity of editorial offices and the sources themselves," said Vuksanović.
She pointed out that today's event presented examples of responsible investigative journalism that "measures twice, cuts once", along with fact-checking, protecting sources, and respecting privacy.
She added that recent consultations confirmed that, according to civil society organizations engaged in media analysis and media development, greater budgetary investments in the media sector of Montenegro are necessary.
Programme Manager for Human Rights and Democracy, Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, Mladenka Tešić, said that today's award ceremony for ethical reporting confirms that Montenegrin free and professional media have a strong awareness of their responsibility and act as guardians of human rights and democracy, calling the authorities to account.
"Despite difficult topics, such as sexual harassment of students, the Klapuh case, or the difficult position of children without parental care, it is encouraging to see that Montenegrin media produce well-researched and well-presented investigative reports," said Tešić.
According to her, the essence of the media is to serve the public interest, which means prioritizing pluralism over deals, quality content over "clickable" headlines, and long-term social benefits over short-term profit.
"To achieve this, cooperation between state authorities, regulators, media professionals, civil society and international partners is necessary. Independent and pluralistic media provide citizens with diverse and reliable information, creating the basis for informed public debate," she stressed.
Tešić emphasized that these values are at the very core of the European Union and Montenegro's EU accession process, reminding decision-makers of the importance of creating an environment in which journalists can work without harassment, political pressure, censorship, or persecution.
"This is a key issue related to the rule of law and can significantly affect the path of each candidate country towards membership in the European Union," Tešić pointed out.
Representative of the Sociological Center of Montenegro (SOCEN), Nikoleta Đukanović, said that the goal of the project was to contribute to accurate, ethical and responsible reporting on human rights violations in the media, which, as she pointed out, is a topic that is always current and has never been fully addressed in Montenegro.
"At a time when disinformation and sensationalism increasingly shape public discourse, it is very important that we empower media professionals and journalists to report truthfully, objectively and, most importantly, in the public interest," said Đukanović.
She stated that the project aims to increase media accountability, set professional standards, and provide support to journalists in their work on topics of exceptional social importance.
"In designing the project, we sought to promote ethical journalism through three key components - a system for monitoring media reporting on human rights violations and processing cases of unethical reporting, implementing training and education programs for journalists on professional and ethical standards, as well as strengthening cooperation between journalists and representatives of the judiciary through joint workshops, panels and dialogue on responsible reporting," explained Đukanović.
According to her, in the last two years, a large number of activities have been implemented, including the development of a methodology for monitoring media content, analysis of court proceedings, interviews with journalists, training on ethical reporting, as well as various panel discussions and meetings between media and judicial stakeholders.
"The goal of all this was to contribute to the development and improvement of a culture of professional journalism, which respects facts, dignity and human rights, but also strengthens trust between citizens, media and institutions," said Đukanović.
During the discussion "How does the EU accession process open up space for investigative journalism?", journalist from the Center for Investigative Reporting of Montenegro (CIN-CG) Đurđa Radulović, winner of the first prize for a journalistic article on sexual harassment in schools, spoke about the motives and challenges in working on this topic.
"The inspiration for the story was simple, we all knew it was happening. My entire generation could, over a simple cup of coffee, recall numerous examples, whether we witnessed them personally or someone close to us told us about them. Sexual harassment in schools is, unfortunately, a common occurrence," said Radulović.
She pointed out that it was necessary to find interlocutors willing to speak out about it and cases that had concrete evidence, such as messages confirming the harassment.
"That first story was just an introduction to the other two that I did – about sexual harassment in schools in Tuzi. However, those stories did not have a big impact, because they are about a minority community, about schools that are, as many say, 'out there somewhere', in villages. And they are about elementary school students, about cases that both teachers and the Ministry knew about. This shows how widespread the phenomenon is and how much it is kept quiet about," said Radulović.
When asked whether institutions reacted after the publication of the texts, Radulović said that she could not assess whether there were any concrete changes.
"I hope that at least more people talk about it and that some unscrupulous professor will now think about his behavior. People who sexually harass exist everywhere in the world and it cannot be completely eradicated, but a lot can be done in prevention. Institutions are the ones who need to react, and other professors must be aware that they have a responsibility to observe, recognize and react," said Radulović.
The winner of the second prize on the Klapuh case, Radio Free Europe journalist Miloš Rudović, said that his investigative article on the Klapuh case was born out of a desire to learn more about this crime, for which no one has been held accountable even after three decades.
He explained that the biggest obstacle during the investigation was cooperation with the authorities in Belgrade.
"We received no responses at all to our requests for free access to information that we sent to the Serbian Ministry of Justice. However, we did receive responses from the Special Court, which showed that the extradition decision was on the table or in the cabinet of the Minister of Justice several times, but it was never acted upon," said Rudović.
Speaking about practical challenges, he pointed out that they are always similar in journalism - the balance between speed and accuracy, as well as maintaining objectivity.
"Those were the main challenges, especially considering that this was a war crime and that every fact had to be verified multiple times," he said.
When asked about the protection of sources, Rudović explained that in this case they relied heavily on documentation obtained under the Law on Free Access to Information and materials from non-governmental organizations dealing with the protection of human rights.
"The problem today, especially in the era of social networks and digital tools, is how to protect the source of information. This is a challenge that journalists must prepare for and work on every day, and unfortunately, we still do not have a concrete solution for it," Rudović concluded.
The winner of the third prize, journalist from the Center for Investigative Reporting of Montenegro (CIN-CG) Tijana Lekić, emphasized that the issue of the boundary between public interest and the protection of the privacy of children without parental care was one of the key issues during the preparation of her investigative text.
"Our goal from the beginning was not to go towards sensationalism or to shock the public. That is why we did not go into detail or portray children as victims, but as subjects of rights," explained Lekić.
She added that the analysis focused on institutional failures that lead to the denial of children's rights.
"The line between public interest and privacy protection ends at the moment when publishing certain information could endanger the dignity of children or any person we report on. The public has the right to know, but journalists must know where that right ends," said Lekić.
Her colleague, with whom she shares the award, journalist from the Center for Investigative Reporting of Montenegro (CIN-CG) Maja Boričić, said that she was particularly pleased that her investigative article about children without parental care was recognized and awarded, because, as she said, it is about the most vulnerable and often invisible category of society.
"I am particularly pleased that this particular story has received recognition, because these children are the most vulnerable category of society and practically invisible. It would be good if the media talked more about this topic, so that society would better understand their situation, but also for institutions to work harder to help them lead a normal life," said Boričić.
She emphasized that the task of the media is not sensationalism, but rather to contribute to understanding and solving social problems.
"We should publish what contributes to understanding a phenomenon and its resolution, without going into unnecessary details. This is especially important when we are talking about children," Boričić emphasized.
Speaking about the state of the media scene in Montenegro and its approximation to European standards, Boričić said that the European process can contribute to greater transparency and better access to information.
"The process of joining the European Union can help financially, but also through opening access to information, training and connecting with similar European organizations. In that process, one of the key items is the protection of journalists and media freedoms, which is extremely important for our work," said Boričić.
She added that Montenegrin media still do not have the same conditions as their counterparts in more developed countries.
"We cannot say that we are at the level of other media centers – there is a lack of funds, journalists are often dissatisfied and demotivated. However, this job cannot be done by someone who does not love it, because it requires dedication and personal passion," Boričić concluded.
Participant in the Newsroom Europe project of the European Academy Berlin, Marija Bule, pointed out the high level of trust that German citizens have in their media and the importance of European support programs for young journalists.
"From my, admittedly limited, experience, I can say that in Germany there is an exceptionally high level of trust in the media. The media is considered to be independent and free, especially public services, in which citizens have almost complete trust. Perhaps only the far right has a different view, but overall, the public trusts their media," said Bule.
She explained that in Germany the Press Council plays an important role, acting as a self-regulatory body and overseer of ethical journalism.
"The Press Council is a kind of media 'guardian'. There is a code of ethics, citizens can file complaints, and the Council can also impose sanctions. Although it is a voluntary and self-regulatory mechanism, it includes all media - online, print, television and video," Bule said.
She added that Germany has a deeply rooted tradition of investigative journalism and critical reporting on the government and the opposition, which, she says, "forms a culture of responsibility and pluralism of opinion."
Speaking about the Newsroom Europe project, funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ program, Bule pointed out that such initiatives provide young journalists with a valuable opportunity for professional development.
"I am currently collaborating with journalists from Poland and Denmark. The internships, exchanges, grants and scholarships that the EU offers to young journalists are invaluable. Starting a career in journalism is difficult, but the EU invests a lot in developing young talents, in their networking and in learning how to report responsibly," said Bule.
The event was organized as part of the project "Media Monitoring - Monitoring Ethical Reporting on Human Rights Violations" implemented by CEDEM in partnership with the Sociological Center of Montenegro (SOCEN), with financial support from the European Union and co-financing from the Ministry of Public Administration.
Bonus video:
