National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia / Activities / Activity details
Thursday, 6 November 2014
13th Sitting of the Culture and Information Committee
At the sitting held on 6 November, the Culture and Information Committee analysed the application of article 4 of the Law on Public Information and Media.
The Committee members and the other MPs who took part in the sitting discussed media freedom, editorial autonomy of the media and supervision of the implementation of media laws.
In a long debate, these topics were addressed by Minister of Culture and Media Ivan Tasovac, editor-in-chief of Politika daily and president of the Serbian Journalists’ Association (UNS) Ljiljana Smajlovic, president of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) Vukasin Obradovic, president of the Serbian Journalists’ Union Dragana Cabarkapa, editor of Informer daily Dragan Vucicevic and editor-in-chief of Studio B Ivana Vucicevic.
Representatives of the academic community journalist Snjezana Milivojevic of the Faculty of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism of Serbia Branko Cecen, as well as journalists Predrag Sarapa and Aleksandar Timofejev, spoke about the freedom of public information and media policy.
At the end of the sitting, the Culture and Information Committee unanimously adopted the following conclusions:
1. The media in Serbia have liberties guaranteed by law because only free media can guarantee the further democratic development of our society.
2. The Committee expects all the relevant authorities to react, in line with the law, to any possible attempts to encroach on the editorial autonomy and independence of the media and actively investigate any and all instances of attacks on editors, journalists and other persons involved in the gathering of information, as well as on the media themselves.
3. The purpose of today’s Committee sitting was to encourage everyone working in the media to concentrate their efforts toward the development of media pluralism which would in turn contribute to the democratic development of our society.
4. The Committee believes that all the relevant institutions and the media should foster public interest in the sphere of public information.
5. The Committee pledges to implement its decision made at the third sitting of the Culture and Information Committee on 26 June 2014 to organise public hearings concerning the media.
The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Vesna Marjanovic.
In a long debate, these topics were addressed by Minister of Culture and Media Ivan Tasovac, editor-in-chief of Politika daily and president of the Serbian Journalists’ Association (UNS) Ljiljana Smajlovic, president of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) Vukasin Obradovic, president of the Serbian Journalists’ Union Dragana Cabarkapa, editor of Informer daily Dragan Vucicevic and editor-in-chief of Studio B Ivana Vucicevic.
Representatives of the academic community journalist Snjezana Milivojevic of the Faculty of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism of Serbia Branko Cecen, as well as journalists Predrag Sarapa and Aleksandar Timofejev, spoke about the freedom of public information and media policy.
At the end of the sitting, the Culture and Information Committee unanimously adopted the following conclusions:
1. The media in Serbia have liberties guaranteed by law because only free media can guarantee the further democratic development of our society.
2. The Committee expects all the relevant authorities to react, in line with the law, to any possible attempts to encroach on the editorial autonomy and independence of the media and actively investigate any and all instances of attacks on editors, journalists and other persons involved in the gathering of information, as well as on the media themselves.
3. The purpose of today’s Committee sitting was to encourage everyone working in the media to concentrate their efforts toward the development of media pluralism which would in turn contribute to the democratic development of our society.
4. The Committee believes that all the relevant institutions and the media should foster public interest in the sphere of public information.
5. The Committee pledges to implement its decision made at the third sitting of the Culture and Information Committee on 26 June 2014 to organise public hearings concerning the media.
The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Vesna Marjanovic.