Following the adoption, on February the 9th, by the Legal Commission and the Commission for Human Rights of the Romanian Parliament of the draft law on defamation scandal broke out.
The head of the opposition, Zoran Zaev, was interwed on Wednesday night by Dragan Pavlović, aka Latas, the main host of the openly pro-govermental channel Sitel Tv. The debate was tense and Latas, as usual, did not spare personal attacks. But one of his racist comment has raised a big controversy on social media.
Even the most pessimistic predictions couldn't have foreseen that the new government in Croatia will adopt the practice used in the 90's, when Franjo Tudjman authoritatively threatened freedom of expression in Croatian media.
Kosovo ranks 87th in the ranking of Reporters without borders about media freedom, performing slightly worse than Ivory Coast. Attacks and threats are nothing new in the country, but are nevertheless "allarming" as pointed out by the OSCE. A report from a country where one can throw death threats without being recognized guilty.
One of the most prominent authors of Koha Ditore, Vehbi Kajtazi has launched with a partner, on February 1st, the online media Insajderi, focusing in particular on investigative journalism. Within a media landscape already overcrowded, this new media aims to distinguish itself through investigations which are hard to find anywhere else.
Many journalists and photographers joined the protest organized on Monday in several cities around Serbia, including Belgrade, Novi Sad, Čačak, Šabac and Niš, to denounce the serious deterioration of the freedom of the media and the increasing political pressure exerted by the ruling party, the SNS.
Romania occupies a rather flattering 52nd position in the ranking by Reporters Without Borders on press freedom. In the Balkans, only Slovenia ranks better. However, Romanian journalists face several pressures both from political and economic sources. But social networks change the traditional media. An analysis by the director of the Centre for Independent Journalism in Romania, Ioana Adavani.
For the third time, journalists in Serbia demonstrated throughout the country to demand the resignation of the Minister of Defence, Bratislav Gašić, which addressed sexist comments against a journalist. They also denounced the authoritarian yoke covering the press. Prime Minister Vučić had promised the dismissal of his minister.
In a context marked by self-censorship and tabloidisation, quality journalism has become an almost impossible mission in Serbia. Controlled by political and economic elites, the media show to prefer entertainment to real investigation. The Foundation Slavko Ćuruvija, named after the journalist murdered in 1999, works to promote a free and independent press. An interview with Ilir Gasi, its Director.
