27. 03. 2015

COALITION: MUNICIPALITIES AND CITIES TO PAY ATTENTION WHEN CHOOSING CANDIDATES FOR MEDIA SELECTION PANELS

Belgrade, March 27 2015 - The Coalition of journalists' and media associations (UNS, NUNS, NDNV, ANEM and Local Press) calls on local self-governments to pay attention and verify who proposes the candidates for panels for the assessment of projects in the public interest prior to the selection of members.

The Coalition of journalists' and media associations warns that in some municipalities and cities members of the selection panels are nominated at the proposal of associations that do not have the right to propose candidates, such as the Vojvodina Association of Electronic Media (AEMV).

As the Coalition of journalists' and media associations learned, this association submitted proposals for candidates for the panels to a number of local self-governments that issued the competitions for co-financing projects in the public information sector.

The AEMV's letter, referring to the Law on Public Information and Media, requests that the municipalities and cities nominate two candidates out of ten on their list. 

The Coalition of journalists' and media associations established that under the unique identification number of AEMV a company is registered in the database of the Serbian Business Registers Agency. According to the Law on Public Information and Media, a company does not have the right to nominate panel members.

The Coalition of journalists' and media associations underscores that such manipulation by an association unknown to the expert community is illegal.

The Coalition of journalists' and media associations informed the Ministry of Culture and Information about this case and called on the Ministry to take measures and consider legal responsibility for this attempt to abuse the law.

Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS)

Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS)

Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV)

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

Business Association "Local Press"