OSCE Mission to Serbia, Dutch Embassy and Belgrade Youth Centre organize debate on media freedom

BELGRADE, 29 May 2009 - Media rights and freedom in Serbia were the focus of a debate organized today in Belgrade by the OSCE Mission to Serbia, the Dutch Embassy in Belgrade and the Belgrade Youth Centre Dom Omladine.

The debate was a closing event for the two-week World Press Photo exhibition tour. World Press Photo is an independent non-profit group organizing the world's largest annual press photography contest.

"Objective, professional and dynamic media are not only a foundation for social and political stability but also a tool for feeling the pulse of a democratic society," said Dragana Nikolic Solomon, the Head of the Media Department of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, adding that violence towards journalists represents a serious social threat and that states are obliged to investigate such attacks.

According to Veran Matic, RTV B92 director, the media in Serbia need help to tackle powerful and diverse vested interests which represent a threat to media freedom.

"These concentrations of power have their individual and group interests, which are most of the time in conflict with the public interest," said Matic. "It is difficult for the media to fight against them on their own without proper means of support."

British journalist Tim Judah added:

"Why are some of the most important stories from the Balkans not told? Because local journalists are afraid for their own safety, and foreign ones can be sued. Who is prepared to take the risk and who is prepared to pay for the consequences? Not many."

Also participating in the debate were Serbian journalists Dejan Anastasijevic, Veran Matic and Vukasin Obradovic, as well as Russian journalist Vitaly Yaroshevskiy.

The OSCE Mission to Serbia presented its latest publication, Freedom of the Media in Serbia in 2008, at the event.