Journalists in Montenegro welcome their day with a series of problems

On the occasion of January 23 – Montenegrian Journalists’ Day, the Center for Civic Education (CGO) congratulated all journalists in Montenegro on their day with the hope that, despite the difficult socio-political environment, their position will improve, announced Damir Nikočević, coordinator for the development of CGO.

“Journalists in Montenegro welcome their day with a series of problems, starting with physical and verbal attacks, of which there were 19 in 2022, but also the fact that none of the biggest cases of attacks on journalists have been fully investigated so far. However, last year also resulted in some progress, and it concerns the increase of daily wages for work on Sundays for employees in the media, which will come into force in June 2023 at the latest, according to the General Collective Agreement“, said Nikočević.

According to him, in a society characterized by pronounced political and media polarization and growing hate speech, journalists should represent the messengers of a free and democratic society based on civic values.

“Professional reporting must be the starting point and destination of every journalist, and everything in the public interest and for the benefit of all citizens. This is exactly what distinguishes journalists from propagandists, and professionals from media agitators,” says Nkočević.

Last year, Nikočević recalled that journalists faced security and financial challenges.

“Clarification of attacks on journalists is still limited, while the competent institutions, as well as the Commission for Investigations and Attacks on Journalists and Media Property, have not made effective efforts to expose the perpetrators and perpetrators of some of the biggest attacks on journalists,” said Nikočević.

In 2022, the CGO recorded 19 attacks on journalists and media outlets. “Out of these, there were eight attacks on journalists, seven threats to journalists via the Internet, three attacks on media houses, and one threat addressed to a media house. If you add to all this the rather poor financial conditions in which the media operate, then the Day of Journalists in Montenegro is more of a reason to warn the competent institutions. However, it is to be expected that, as every year, that day will serve political parties, especially the ruling ones, to re-exercise rhetorical commitment, instead of effective action”, says Nikočević.

He adds that relevant research and analysis continuously point to the problems of the media community, to which Montenegrin institutions remain chronically silent.

“In addition to attacks on journalists and the media, there are also insufficiently transparent financing of the media from public funds, weak self-regulation and limited regulation, hate speech on social networks, RTCG which is not yet a true public service, and media literacy that completes the media landscape on the margins of the educational process of Montenegro. Therefore, it is not surprising that a good number of quality journalistic professionals leave the media in search of a safer environment and more promising earnings”, said Nikočević.

CGO, as he says, has been pointing out the problems faced by journalists for years, and through numerous initiatives is trying to contribute to the improvement of the status of journalists, such as through recent comments on the draft set of media laws (the Law on the Media and the Law on the Public Media Service of Montenegro), all with the goal of developing journalism based on ethical norms, the highest professional standards and positioning the public interest as a guide in reporting.