The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.
Croatia Journalists Protest on Human Rights Day
Zagreb | 10 December 2009 |
The protest, supported by around 200 journalists and held in front of the journalist house in Zagreb, aimed at highlighting journalists’ bad working conditions in Croatia.
Some reporters covered their mouths with tape to protest alleged censorship.
''Croatian journalism has reached its lowest level,’’ said Zdenko Duka, the head of Croatian Journalists' Association, citing censorship lead by media owners and big advertisers in cooperation and violent attacks on journalists, as the biggest problems.
Sanja Modric, journalist from daily Novi List, added the growth of the tabloid media in Croatia as a one of the major problems, which she said has caused a large drop in newspaper circulation.
But journalist Marinko Jurasic from daily newspapers Vecernji List said journalists are to blame for copy-paste journalism, lack of solidarity and silent compliance with bad working conditions. ''The influence of the business world through advertising has nothing to do with it,’’ said Jurasic.
Free and uncompromising journalism became very risky in Croatia, confirmed Dusko Miljus, an investigative journalist who writes about crime and corruption and was severely beaten 18 months ago. The perpetrators of the attack have not been found yet and Miljus is still under police guard.
Protesters walked through the city from the journalist house to the Ministry of Culture, under whose jurisdiction media is. Zdenko Duka handed over a demand to respect for journalists’ rights to the State Secretary at the Croatian Ministry of Culture Nina Obuljen.
Nina Obuljen said the demands will be considered seriously.
The Croatian Journalist Association asked Ministry of Culture to stop censorship and self-censorship in the media and to implement in the Law on Media, which will permit journalists a greater contribution to democracy.
