14. 06. 2004

No major media violations in election campaign

BELGRADE, June 14, 2004 – The Media Council has found that media in Serbia presented the platforms of candidates in the Serbian presidential election without any serious violations of regulations. The council noted, however, that the media had pronounced Serbian Radical Party candidate Tomislav Nikolic favourite in a rash and over-emphatic way. According to the council’s report, most radio and television stations had a passive attitude to the campaigns of presidential candidates. The council also noted that independent candidate Bogoljub Karic was treated with favouritism by media he controls. Globally speaking, said the council, the media had proved by their behaviour that they are no longer merely responding to political pressure, particularly in the cases of print media and Radio Television Serbia. However, said the council, the tabloid press violated professional principles and ethical standards throughout the campaign. The council also found that Radio B92 had violated the media election blackout on June 10 in its program Pescanik (The Hourglass) and that, on the same day, some programs of Radio Television Serbia and some articles in daily Politika had given excessive support to the candidate of the governing coalition, Dragan Marsicanin. The council also found that a formal approach to the election campaign was prevalent in media coverage, thus giving the impression that the candidates were controlling media policy.