OSCE representative commends media situation in Montenegro, outlines areas for improvement
VIENNA, 13 November 2008 - Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, said today that the media situation in Montenegro was free and pluralistic.
"There is a high degree of media pluralism in the country, in terms of both the quantity of media outlets and the different views that are represented," said Haraszti in a report which also reflected on the challenges facing media freedom in the country and offered concrete recommendations to the authorities.
"Montenegro has an exemplary ban on state ownership of the media. This could serve as 'best practice' for OSCE participating states with still-preserved or even bolstered state media ownership. The privatization of the press is almost complete in Montenegro."
However, Haraszti said that the recently adopted Law on Electronic Communications has partially downgraded the competences and autonomy of the Broadcasting Agency. "We are also watching the ongoing re-regulation of the Public-Service Broadcaster of Montenegro with hopes for improved amendments," he said.
The OSCE Representative said Montenegro should continue the positive reform process started in 2003, under which imprisonment as a punishment for speech offenses was abolished, and decriminalize libel and insult. He noted that, for the sake of freedom of discussion, awarding damages in civil defamation suits should be limited in cases when the journalistic mistake occurred while covering issues of public interest.
The Representative added that Montenegrin journalists should bolster media self-regulation to decrease the number of complaints and strengthen journalism's public status.
Haraszti expressed hope that investigations into violence against journalists, including the 2003 murder of Dusko Jovanovic, the editor of the daily Dan, would be concluded in a timely and forthcoming manner.
Miklos Haraszti visited Montenegro from 16 to 18 July. He had meetings with the country's leadership, including President Filip Vujanovic and Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, as well as with chief media regulators, broadcasting officials, and newspaper editors.
The full report can be found at: The State of Media Freedom in Montenegro