17. 08. 2004

Media watchdog slams Karic television

BELGRADE, August 17, 2004 (Danas) – According to the analysis of the Broadcast Agency Council the most professional and objective reporting on Serbia's presidential election came from the state media, Radio Television Serbia. As an extreme example of poor reporting, the council cited BK Television, the broadcaster owned by business magnate-turned-politician, Bogoljub Karic. Council chairman Nenad Cekic says BK was barracking throughout the campaign for Karic himself, who made his political debut standing in the election. "Half an hour before the beginning of the pre-election media blackout, BK interrupted a film and broadcast Karic's propaganda material," said Cekic, adding that the station had violated the Broadcast Act from the beginning of the campaign and continued to do so after the campaign was over. BK had continued to broadcast propaganda for its owner and his Power of Serbia Movement, slinging mud at his political opponents, including the finance minister and the deputy prime minister, who was described as a racketeer, a thief and an extortionist. This, said Cekic, had been in breach of the Public Information Act. "We're asking BK TV for an explanation of what is happening to this station and to explain why they conducted a campaign during the presidential election, why that campaign continued after the presidential election and why it has been used to settle accounts with political opponents, said the council in a statement. Cekic said that the company had been given eight days to explain its reporting on the elections. The Broadcast Council chairman emphasised, however, that private campaigns are not banned, adding that Article 53 of the Broadcast Act stipulates that the work of broadcasters is to be taken into account when deciding on the allocation of national frequencies and that these facts cannot be overlooked by anyone, not even a newly elected council. Cekic said that he supports the planned amendments to the Broadcast Act under which new council members are also to be elected, so that the present deadlock would be resolved. This was despite the fact that there are in fact no legal grounds for the appointment of new council members, said Cekic, adding that he hoped a precedent would not be set and that the council members would not be again changed. The council’s report also cites bias in the election campaign towards Boris Tadic by TV B92 and TV Studio B. The state media and TV Politika, says the council, were biased towards government coalition candidate Dragan Marsicanin, while TV Pink favoured Radical Party candidate Tomislav Nikolic.