Podgorica, (MINA) – Thirty-three attacks on media workers were recorded in Montenegro last year, which is the highest number since records are being kept, it was announced at the “Dignified Conditions for Responsible Journalism” Forum.
President of the Media Trade Union of Montenegro (SMCG) Radomir Krackovic said that the safety of media workers significantly worsened in the past year, that political and other pressures on the work of journalists continued and intensified, and that their economic status did not improve much.
“Last year, SMCG recorded 33 cases of attacks on journalists in Montenegro, which is an absolute record”, Krackovic said at the forum organized by SMCG and the Media Institute ahead of 23January, Montenegrin Day of Journalists.
According to him, it is therefore not surprising that for the third year in a row, Montenegro recorded a decline in the Western Balkans Journalist Safety Index.
Krackovic said that the SMCG worked all last year, together with other actors from the media community and competent authorities, on establishing a Mechanism for the Safety of Journalists, which should be launched this year.
“The mechanism will provide institutional, legal and psychological support to all journalists attacked in Montenegro and, I believe, ensure that the attacks are investigated more quickly, receive adequate court epilogues and ultimately reduce the number of these incidents”, Krackovic added.
He stated that political pressures on journalists and the media continued, and that in addition to journalists, entire newsrooms were targeted.
Speaking about the economic position of journalists and media workers, Krackovic said that some media outlets have seen progress, especially local public broadcasters after the implementation of the new Law on Audio-Visual Media Services, but that journalists’ salaries are generally below the national level.
He said that negotiations on a new RTCG collective agreement are underway and that they hope that this process could be completed this year, which could lead to salary increase at the Public Broadcaster as well.
Director of the Media Institute, Olivera Nikolic, said that Montenegro is facing serious anti-democratic and anti-European trends that directly affect the state of the media and journalism.
According to her, despite formal institutional frameworks and adopted laws, democracy remains weak in practice, and the media scene is faced with numerous challenges.
Nikolic said that the independence and editorial autonomy of public broadcasters and the autonomy of the media regulator, the Agency for Audiovisual and Media Services (AMU), are under threat, because these institutions are under constant political pressure.
SMCG Vice-President Marijana Camovic Velickovic stated that out of 33 cases of attacks on media workers, women were in victims 18.
“The impression among female journalists is that they are unprotected and cannot count on the media outlets they work for. Those who did try to get legal help when they needed it because of their work, were refused”, she said.
