The chairman of the board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) said today that, regardless of what happens on Sunday during the snap parliamentary elections and in the period that follows, the situation facing journalists and the media will be extremely difficult, as the media community is already at the limit of its strength and capacity.
“There is no response even to obvious physical and other attacks, or to the economic collapse… Professional journalists and media outlets survive solely through their fanatical commitment to the fundamental principles of the profession, the solidarity of a small number of those in similar circumstances, and the solidarity of part of the community,” Matić wrote in ANEM’s “Diary of the Duty Officer at the Safe Line for Journalists’ Safety.”
In his assessment, the situation has reached a point where any further deterioration in the conditions faced by the media and journalists could be irreversible.
“That is why it is extremely important for everyone to do everything they can to create at least the basic conditions necessary for outstanding professionals in this journalistic profession to do their work,” Matić wrote.
He added that journalists and media associations had been preparing for election day “as if preparing for work” for a week, noting that meetings involving representatives of journalists’ and media associations and the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists were taking place daily.
“We are establishing contact points throughout Serbia and deciding how we will communicate and respond. We are distributing protective equipment, helmets and press vests, preferably blue ones, because there are already too many yellow ones at protests. Many would say all of this is an overreaction, but the figures on attacks and threats against journalists show a steady increase, while the number of cases resolved is declining,” Matić said.
According to him, the prosecution service largely turns a blind eye, while the police no longer protect journalists and even attack them, which means that “we are left to rely on mutual solidarity.”
“I am often on duty on the Safe Line, ANEM’s SOS hotline for reporting threats and attacks against journalists. In the final week before the elections, it is crystal clear what international journalists’ organizations have been saying for a year now: of all European countries, Serbia is currently the most difficult place to be a journalist,” Matić wrote.
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Source: Danas Foto: FoNet / Zoran Mrđa
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