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ALLEGED
MILITARY TAKEOVER OF MEDIA
I.
Draskovic accuses army of taking over Studio B TV.
On 26th April private television channels in Belgrade
were reported to be carrying the Radio-TV Serbia (RTS)
“Dnevnik” 1730 gmt news programme, after which
they returned to their normal schedules. The
broadcasts follow talks earlier in the day between the
Serbian Information Minister Aleksandar Vucic and the
directors and editors of five private Belgrade
channels: Politika, Pink, Studio B, BK TV and TV
Palma. According to RTS, the stations agreed
“to make available their stations and capacities in
the interests of a joint media struggle, defence of the
freedom, homeland and the people,” in the wake of
the destruction by NATO of the RTS building on 23rd
April.
However, the Yugoslav deputy prime minister, Vuk
Draskovic, immediately accused the military of
effectively taking over the studios of the channel
controlled by his party, Studio B. “The editor
in chief was told that the station had no right to
broadcast anything without the army’s
permission,” Draskovic was quoted by the French news
agency AFP as saying.
Military sources categorically denied the army had taken
over Studio B.
The previous day Draskovic had given an interview to
Studio B in which he called on the Yugoslav leadership to
“stop lying” and “finally tell” the
Serbs “the truth” which is that NATO has
“never been stronger” or more united and that
Russia “will not send us military aid,” the
Belgrade news agency Beta reported.
Draskovic accused his political rival, Serbian Deputy
Prime Minister Vojislav Seselj, of being behind the
takeover of Studio B and, in an interview with the BBC,
said: “I hope Mr Milosevic is not supporting
this. In case Mr Milosevic supports this, I am
ready to stand up against Mr Milosevic. . . . we
will empty the streets and demonstrate in the streets
against this anti-democratic decision.”
Studio B radio was observed broadcasting as usual on its
web site on 27th April.
BBC
Monitoring Research, April 27, 1999
II.
Studio B says army tries to control its programmes.
The following is a statement by the chairman of the
Studio B management board, Aleksandar Cotric:
The
supreme command of the Yugoslav army has tried to
influence the programmes of Studio B radio and
television. This was confirmed to me by Lt
Commander [Serbo-Croat: kapetan korvete] Miroljub
Petrovic in a telephone conversation.
Commander Petrovic visited Studio B premises twice [on
26th April]. Mr Petrovic said that on the basis of
the order signed by Maj-Gen Aleksandar Bakocevic, his
task was to remain in Studio B, and to monitor, control
and coordinate current affairs programmes.
I told Petrovic that the management board of Studio B and
the Belgrade city assembly, which is the founder of the
city’s TV [Studio B], objected to any pressure on
the editorial policy of Studio B, Cotric said.
I also told him it was up to the editorial board to make
and produce its own programmes in accordance with the
principles of free, professional and responsible
journalism, thereby making a major contribution to the
defence of our country and our people, Aleksandar Cotric,
chairman of the management board of Studio B, said in the
statement.
Studio
B radio web site, Belgrade, April 27, 1999
III.
“Military source” denies army took control of
Studio B.
Military sources this evening categorically denied claims
that the Yugoslav Army had taken control of the
Belgrade-based station Studio B.
International agencies reported that Federal Deputy Prime
Minister Vuk Draskovic had said that the Yugoslav Army
had this evening “taken control” of Studio
B. “It is absurd to talk about the occupation
of the television station,” a military source told
Beta.
The source assessed that this was an attempt to
“promote party policy” in the media and to draw
the Yugoslav Army into this policy.
Studio B has still not reacted to Draskovic’s
statement. The television this evening broadcast
Radio Television Serbia’s (RTS) 1930 [1730 gmt] news
bulletin and then continued to broadcast its programme,
including news programmes.
It was agreed at [the 27th April] meeting between Serbian
Information Minister Aleksandar Vucic with the directors
and chief editors of the Studio B, Politika, BK, Pink and
Palma television stations that the stations would
broadcast the RTS’s main news bulletins.
Beta
news agency, Belgrade, April 27, 1999
IV.
Ministry says army pressure on media
“unacceptable.”
The Montenegrin Information Ministry has said that
attempts by the Yugoslav Army to exert pressure on a
newspaper and two radio stations are
“unacceptable.” The following is the text
of a report by Montenegrin TV:
Following [the 23rd April] statement by the Montenegrin
weekly ‘Monitor,’ Antena M and Free Montenegro
radio stations, representatives from the Montenegrin
Ministry of Information visited these three media.
The Ministry of Information [on 24th April] issued a
statement referring to its familiarization with all
aspects of these media’s reports on the visits by
Yugoslav Army [VJ] representatives:
The constitution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
[FRY] and the constitution of Montenegro guarantee
freedom of the press and other media, as well as the
right of citizens to express their views in the
media.
No-one can prevent the work of the media in Montenegro
unless a court determines they have called for the
violent disruption of constitutional order; the violation
of Montenegrin or Yugoslav territorial integrity; have
violated guaranteed freedoms or rights; or incited
nationalist, racial or religious hatred or
intolerance.
The Law on Public Information also curbs the rights of
any particular person to illegally restrict the freedom
of the press or radio stations and their representatives,
or to use force to influence their work.
While anyone has the right to file charges with the
judicial institutions of Montenegro, which are working
properly, the VJ’s competent authorities
must—if they believe a member of these media, be
they journalists or editors, to have broken the Law on
Public Information—file charges with those
aforementioned republican institutions.
Being aware of the fact that Miodrag Perovic [founder of
‘Monitor’ and Antena M radio], according to the
official records of the Ministry for Information, is
neither a director nor editor in chief of any of these
media, we believe it to be unacceptable for the military
police to seek this person at the above media’s
addresses, and which the latter consider to be direct
pressure on their editorial policy and work.
In talks with the directors and editors in chief of
‘Monitor,’ Antena M and Free Montenegro radio,
the representatives of the Ministry of Information said
that these media, regardless of their ownership, had to
contribute to the united system of defence and had to
maintain a proper attitude towards the VJ.
It was also stated that the editors in chief should pay
particular attention to the content of foreign news
programmes which they rebroadcast.
The Ministry of Information undertook to inform the
highest Montenegrin state authorities about some of the
demands made by these private media.
TV Crna
Gora, Podgorica, April 24, 1999
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