24. 05. 2005

DELTA NOT SELLING BELGRADE WEEKLY?

BELGRADE, May 24, 2005 – The Association of Private Serbian Media (APM) and Association of Serbian Journalists (JAS) criticized the refusal of the “Delta” company to sell Belgrade weekly “Nedeljni Telegraf” in their points of sale. The associations stressed that Nedeljni Telegraf has been withdrawn from the sale just because the heads of “Delta” were unpleased with the reporting of the weekly on the company. The two professional organizations stated that such decision of the Delta Company directly violated the Public Information Act, and that the justification of the company that the weekly was selling poorly – was unacceptable. The associations also reminded that the case of Nedeljni Telgraf was not the first; however, no appropriate actions were ever taken. The Belgrade weekly issued a statement saying that the company “Delta Holding” and its president Miroslav Miskovic “have banned the selling of Nedeljni Telegraf and several other papers because of their critical, but well-argumented, writings on the company’s work and its owner”. The company however informed the papers that the number of sold copies of the weekly was “unsatisfactory”. Delta Company also informed the Beta News Agency that the retail office of “Maxi”, a chain of supermarkets of the Holding, notified the distributor that they would, starting from Tuesday, May 17, cancel their orders for five newspapers, including Nedeljni Telegraf, whose circulation was unsatisfactory in the previous period.