Freedom of the Press 2008 - Serbia

Status: Partly Free
Legal Environment: 13 (of 30)
Political Environment: 17 (of 40)
Economic Environment: 9 (of 30)
Total Score: 39 (of 100)
(Lower scores = freer)

The Serbian constitution and legislation protect freedom of the press. Overall, the media environment remained relatively unchanged in 2007. Conservative and nationalist elements in the government have proven to be less tolerant of criticism from the media. Libel remains a criminal offense, punishable with fines up to $18,000. There are concerns, that the process through which the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) grants broadcasting licenses is unfair and non-transparent. Compounding the problem is the complicated procedure for obtaining a license. In July, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of two television stations and six radio stations that were denied licenses in 2006. But, the RRA ignored the ruling and upheld its own decision. The RRA was also criticized for interfering in the editorial decisions of the public broadcaster Radio Television Serbia (RTS) when it ordered RTS to broadcast daily parliamentary sessions in their entirety. The parliament controls the budget of the RRA. BK Television – shut down by the police in 2006 for operating without a license – operating briefly in 2007 via satellite.

Both broadcast and print media in Serbia are highly active and promote diverse views. However, the media environment remains somewhat politicized. Journalists at times practice self-censorship, and many avoid politically charged topics, including the discussion of war crimes and the Kosovo status negotiations. The public RTS, funded by compulsory subscription was the dominant media source, with two TV stations and Radio Belgrade. The public media enjoys a level of implicit government support, as does the state-owned news agency Tanjug, which receives state funding. Media organizations and journalist are frequently the victims of harassment, vandalism and violence. In April, Dinko Gruhonjic, a Beta news agency correspondent and chairman of the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina, received death threats after reporting on a neo-Nazi group. Independent broadcaster B92 and its journalist were frequently harassed and its offices were vandalized throughout the year. Nationalist political parties on several occasions forcefully interrupt B92 broadcasts. In November, the editor-in-chief of the daily Politika wrote that one of the wealthiest businessmen in Serbia had phoned journalists criticizing them for their coverage. In April, a bomb exploded outside the Belgrade apartment of Dejan Anastasijevic, journalist for weekly Vreme, following his critical report of a former Serbian paramilitary group. The attacks are often not vigorously prosecuted. Local media operate in a more difficult environment, where local governments typically block journalists' access to public information and cooperate mostly with state-owned media. In October, masked assailants simultaneously entered two television stations in Novi Pazar and at gunpoint halted the rebroadcast of an interview with an Islamic leader in Serbia.

Serbia's broadcast and print media are for the most part privately owned. The government owns a stake in the daily, Politika, but has little direct editorial influence. Most local media, however, have yet to be privatized and there is little support from local governments for these types of liberalization reforms. State-owned media enjoyed strong financial support from the government, while there are no government subsidies for private media. Media ownership remains somewhat non-transparent, with indications that some formal owners are a front for real interests behind the asset. Media ownership concentration has increased slightly with the growing presence of foreign firms. Internet access is unrestricted, though only 14 percent of the population receive information online.

The media environment in Kosovo is regulated by the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the constitutional framework .The system of licensing broadcast media in Kosovo is complicated and not consistent. The television regulator Temporary Media Commissioner (TMC) is generally considered non-transparent. There were several reported incidents of violence during the year. Reporters frequently reported not being able to access public information. Although many media were able to sustain operations through aid donations, most media struggled financially. As a result, editorial independence remains a weakness in Kosovo, with media adhering to business interests. Public broadcaster Radio Television Kosovo (RTK) is particularly at the whim of political and economic interests. Public media have a slight financial advantage, as they are exempt from the value added tax (VAT).