The verdict in the Gornji Zaostar case will be a clear message to all media workers in Montenegro and a test for the authorities of how ready they are to guarantee safety to journalists and the media, said MINA agency interlocutors.
In a video interview by the MINA agency on the safety of journalists, which is being implemented as part of the project "Improving Media Integrity: Empowering Journalists for Informed Reporting in Montenegro", funded by the US Embassy, the President of the Media Union of Montenegro Radomir Krackovic and the Executive Director of the Media Institute of Montenegro Olivera Nikolic spoke.
A survey conducted by the MINA agency with a group of Montenegrin journalists from various media outlets showed that they do not feel safe when doing their jobs and that there is political pressure on the work of the media.
Krackovic said that field work was recognized as one of the major problems and that there had been several serious incidents where journalists were targeted.
He added that journalists correctly recognized strong political pressures because they can later generate other types of more threatening attacks.
"Sympathizers of political parties uncritically accept the narratives of politicians who target journalists, and then they threaten journalists," said Krackovic.
He recalled that in the last five years, the Media Union has recorded at least 120 incidents in which journalists were the targets of attacks or victims.
Krackovic pointed out that the number of attacks and pressure on journalists has not decreased despite institutional progress and the adoption of the amended Criminal Code, which increased penalties for attacks on journalists, but also despite the fact that the police promptly react to the majority of cases of attacks and strive to prosecute them immediately.
Nikolić also agrees with the journalists' position, assessing that the state has a good legal framework to guarantee the safety of journalists and the media.
"These good laws and excellent solutions, which are very often in line with the best European and international standards, are not implemented in Montenegro most often. And that is the key to the problem, because at the political level we have continuous political pressure on journalists and the media," Nikolić added.
She pointed out that for a year now, the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services (AMU), which is one of the most important media institutions in the country, has not been able to operate at full capacity.
"Because the politicians in power, the parliamentary majority, do not want to let a man who is a long-time journalist, a journalism instructor, who enjoys a reputation and credibility, into the Council," Nikolić pointed out.
She said that the general director of Radio Television of Montenegro (RTCG) Boris Raonić still holds that position, despite numerous rulings that he was illegally elected.
"We also have verdicts against members of the RTCG Council, but it seems as if things have gone awry and instead of the Council controlling the work of the management, the management controls the work of the Council. Here we have a deviation from the application of the law and an attempt at political control," Nikolić believes.
She recalled that the Ministry of Defense recently denied accreditation to certain newsrooms, which, she said, is unprecedented.
She said that negotiations in the Public Service regarding the signing of a collective agreement are going poorly.
"In the top hundred earning positions in the Public Service, there are no journalists, no media workers. Then we have the establishment of a parallel union. Suddenly you see journalists from prime time who are no longer present, not hosting shows," Nikolić pointed out.
She believes that all of these are forms of strong pressure on union activism and people's attempts to fight for an improvement in their standard of living.
Nikolić pointed to the case of the attack on Stevo Vasiljević, Boris Pejović and Balša Rudović in Zaostar near Berane when the monument to Pavle Đurišić was being removed and moved to a church.
"In one part of the territory, the police are not reacting to the brutal mistreatment of people - the seizure of equipment, the taking of footage, the threats of murder," Nikolić stated.
Krackovic said that there is still no sectoral collective agreement because an agreement cannot be reached between the two negotiating unions and the employers, or media owners.
He said that the Union will continue to try to reach an agreement, adding that recent developments in individual media outlets may be an incentive to reach an agreement on a sector-wide collective agreement.
Krackovic added that Radio Television Pljevlja signed its collective agreement after many years, which improved working conditions and earnings for employees at that media outlet.
He said that after negotiations on the collective agreement at the Public Service Broadcasting Company, when there were protests by the Union of Employees who complained about pressure from management, a compromise was eventually reached.
"Now all that is expected is for the Ministry of Finance to give its consent and that collective agreement will be signed and it will increase salaries in the Public Service," Krackovic pointed out.
He assessed that recent developments in individual media outlets are a significant incentive to soon try to negotiate a sector-wide collective agreement at the state level, which could improve the rights of both journalists and media workers, or that the agreement would provide a minimum of rights that cannot be exceeded.
"Why is this significant? Because in Montenegro today we have over 200 media outlets. In over half of them, I am sure, you do not respect some of the basic rights of journalists," believes Krackovic.
Nikolić said that a good illustration of how safe, popular and attractive journalism is as a profession in Montenegro is the fact that young people are not interested in doing this job.
The smart one is that the state is obliged to provide a framework for free labor.
Nikolić said that nowhere in the law does it say that journalists cannot be targeted or criminalized and that they cannot be given general assessments without evidence, emphasizing that this happens very often.
"Nowhere in the law does it say that the police should stand by and watch calmly when journalists are attacked by a group of angry people, but it happens," Nikolić said, adding that nowhere in the law does it say that the Ministry of Defense can deny accreditation to journalists, but that it does happen.
"Nowhere in the law does it say that the general director of a public service cannot hold that position and cannot violate the laws of this country and still perform that position, but it still happens. Nowhere does it say that you have to do such a difficult job and have a below-average salary. It doesn't say that anywhere. These are all things that depend on the environment and the level of political culture that politicians influence, but there is also a part of our responsibility - media organizations, journalists," Nikolić said.
She said that this is a question of the future of the journalism profession.
Krackovic said that threats via social media are the most common form of attack on journalists in recent years, which the Media Syndicate has also registered in all its research.
"These attacks are specific because the police and prosecutor's office are often unable to solve them and because some of them came from addresses in other countries. However, recently some of these cases have been solved, after a certain amount of time, but some still have not. This is a major cause for concern," said Krackovic.
He explained that these are cases of online threats, either via social media or via email.
"We have even had cases of threats of mass rape of entire editorial offices. These are things that must deeply concern us and must be resolved completely," added Krackovic.
He said that after several years, in 2020 and 2021, they also had a large number of physical incidents, which was a consequence of the sharp polarization in society after the change of government.
"What can be encouraging is the latest verdict, albeit a first-instance verdict, in the case of the threat against Television E journalist Itana Kaluđerović, when the act was qualified under the new, amended Criminal Code and the perpetrator received nine months in prison," said Krackovic.
He added that this was not the case in the cases of attacks on Pobjeda journalist Ana Rajčković and on photojournalists and journalists in Gornji Zaostar.
"In our opinion, this case is going quite sloppily. Because you initially had an indictment against one person. Now, two more have been added who are being charged with a crime and five who are being prosecuted for misdemeanors," said Krackovic.
He said that the Union is closely monitoring the developments and that the competent authorities, primarily the court, will ultimately make decisions in the case.
"We believe that this will be a clear message to all journalists and media workers in Montenegro, depending on the verdict in the most serious case of attacks on journalists in Montenegro this year," said Krackovic.
Nikolić said that, after the change of government in 2020, the media scene also changed because a large number of media outlets with foreign capital arrived from one address, which was Serbia.
"I'm not sure that the arrival and establishment of so many media outlets has improved our quality. I'm more inclined to agree with those who note that we have, in fact, gained political influence," Nikolić said.
She said that the dialogical role of the media in society is very important in providing a space for conversation between different actors.
Nikolić said that some journalists at the Public Service Broadcasting Service, editors including Vladan Mićunović, Andrijana Kadija, Marijana Marković, Isidora Šoć, and Dušanka Pejović, have disappeared from prime time at the Public Service Broadcasting Service.
"Why? For what reason? Why am I getting hung up on public service? Because there are no written traces of why these people are moving. And that is the par excellence pressure on journalists," said Nikolić.
Krackovic said that Montenegro is a phenomenon because it has over 200 media outlets in an area with only 630 inhabitants, which logically might sound like the media are sustainable.
"Our latest research has shown that media profits are falling. They have been halved compared to 2023, primarily due to rising costs," said Krackovic.
He assessed that the role of the state is enormous and that because of it it can easily control certain media.
"Because half of the total money in Montenegrin media comes directly from the state, or from local governments or municipalities that are the founders of local public broadcasters," said Krackovic.
He believes that not enough attention is paid to how to report on risky events, but that the Union expects the situation to change in this regard.
"Two years ago, the Media Union issued the first guidelines, or risk assessments in newsrooms for reporting on risky events, and sent them to journalists and newsrooms with a request that they read and apply them when a situation arises where reporting from such risky gatherings is necessary," said Krackovic.
Nikolić said that for her, the test of how much the politicians in power are really prepared to guarantee safety to journalists and the media will be the verdict in the Gornji Zaostar case.
"The outcome of this verdict will be very indicative of the attitude of the courts in Montenegro, or some of the courts, towards the safety of journalists and freedom of the media, and which authorities are not allowed to do anything in this society and who are, so to speak, outside the control of the legal system," Nikolić said.
He pointed out that another issue is the urgent filling of the AMU Council and the announcement of a competition for the selection of the remaining members of that body so that this administrative obstacle can be removed and the agency can function at full capacity.
"The signing of the collective agreement between the RTCG management and the representative union and the approval of that collective agreement by the Ministry of Finance, as well as the resignation of Boris Raonić from the position of director because final judgments have made it clear that he is there illegally," Nikolić stated.
According to her, these are tests that will show whether we really respect media freedom or whether we are just talking nonsense.
Bonus video:
