May 31, 2017
The Serbian Media Strategy (the document with which the Republic of Serbia defines its strategic five-year plan in the media domain and which forms the basis for the adoption of media laws) was valid until the end of 2016, but work has not even begun on a new strategy, despite announcements that it would be adopted by the middle of the year.
A working group hasn’t even been formed to draft the media strategy, though according to Ministry announcements it should have been formed by February. That grop should also include, amongst others, representatives of the leading media and journalists’ associations.
Confusion has emerged about this, however, with the majority of media associations alleging that the Ministry is working in secret on a new strategy, that it is known in advance who will be included in the working group, and that nobody has been consulted about that.
The Ministry then requested that the Media Coalition (which gathers together the five largest associations) nominate its own candidate as its representative, but disagreement in the coalition itself led to these associations nominating two journalists.
It is not yet known who will be included in the working group, nor how far its formation has progressed.
Some association representatives claim that work is being conducted in secret on a new law, which led NUNS to go public with a draft law on public information that was allegedly drafted by the Ministry behind closed doors.
However, the Ministry denies all of this and claims that NUNS is fabricating a scandal, because the controversial draft is allegedly from 2013, and insists that nothing is being done in secret – neither on the formation of working groups, nor on the adoption of strategies and laws.
Photo: Perica Gunjić
