Croatian Journalist Wins Prize for Promoting Understanding

18/11/2002

<FONT size="1" color="gray" face="verdana">Last month, SEEMO presented its first prize: the "Dr Erhard Busek-SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe" to Croatian journalist Denis Latin. [mediawatch.ljudmila.org]</font><br><br> Being a journalist in the Balkans can be tough. A good journalist should be totally objective at all times. But that's not always easy when your stories provoke painful memories of ethnic conflict or challenge the power of politicians and mafia bosses.

By Liz Barrett for the Balkan Times - 18/11/02

Being a journalist in the Balkans can be tough. A good journalist should be totally objective at all times and should investigate all angles of inquiry. That is not easy, when the stories you cover provoke painful memories of recent ethnic conflict or challenge the power networks of tycoons and politicians. Yet thousands of journalists in the Balkans survive these dilemmas and brave the consequences of their objective reporting.

Now, a new organisation, the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), has decided to recognise their efforts. Last month, SEEMO presented its first prize: the "Dr Erhard Busek-SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe". After considering over 400 nominations, a jury of media professionals from the region chose Croatian television presenter Denis Latin as this year's winner.

Latin's television programme, Latinica, has a reputation for tackling controversial issues, whether xenophobia, refugee return or the normalisation of relations between Croats and Serbs. In one recent programme, he asked the question: "Should Serbian tourists be guests on Croatia's Adriatic coast?"

The issue struck a chord with the audience. In former Yugoslavia, Serbs and Croats alike holidayed on the Croatian coast. Both were proud of its long ragged coastline and hundreds of idyllic islands. But since the 1991-1995 war in Croatia, few Serbs have taken their summer breaks to their favourite old haunts.

Only recently, with Serbia opening up to the West and some Serbs finding the money to travel, has swimming in Croatia's clear blue water seemed an option again. And many Serbs who do make the trip have found hostility, which perhaps is not surprising, given that parts of the Dalmatian coast were the site of intense conflict.

Latin decided to confront the issue head on. He brought both sides into his studio: moderates, arguing that it was time to make peace between Serbs and Croats; and ultra-nationalists, who wanted to prevent Serbs from setting foot on Croatian soil. Tensions between the two groups reached boiling point, but the overall message was that it is time for reconciliation.

Oliver Vujovic, the secretary-general of SEEMO, says the jury was impressed by Latin's willingness to cover such sensitive issues, topics which are ignored by much of the rest of the Croatian media. But Latin is just one of many journalists who is helping to promote better understanding between the people of the Balkans. SEEMO received over 400 nominations and, says Vujovic, "the jury had to work hard to make a decision.In Mr Latin's case, one factor in his favour was that he employs several other journalists who were also nominated.He has a very good team working for him."

<table border="0" align="right" width="216" height="48"> <tr> <td><img src="../../images/photos/seemo.jpg" align="right" width="216" height="48"></td> </tr> </table> The new prize, supported personally by Erhard Busek, the special co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, is just one small part of SEEMO's activities.The organisation also analyses the legal framework in which journalists operate, and lobbies national governments to bring laws into line with international standards.For example, SEEMO is encouraging the Serbian and Montenegrin governments to make defamation a civil -- rather than a criminal -- offence.

SEEMO has no problem in attracting publicity.Since its members are all top-ranking media professionals from Southeastern Europe, when SEEMO issues an opinion or statement, it can be sure that its voice will be heard.But the organisation prefers to take a diplomatic approach, aware that heavy-handed interference can inflame a tense situation.

SEEMO was recently informed that, in Tetovo, Macedonia, an ethnic Albanian political party banned a local Slav Macedonian television station from attending its press conference. Vujovic responded by contacting the head of the party, and impressing upon him the importance of making press conferences open to all. The party leader responded well: he immediately promised that the ban would not be imposed again, and formally apologised to the television station.

SEEMO also seeks to support journalists whose personal safety is endangered. "The problems facing journalists vary from country to country," said Vujovic, "but perhaps the biggest problem across the region is the mafia and people with connections to the mafia."

But there is a limit to what SEEMO can do.Ultimately, journalists rely on better legal protection of their rights, greater awareness of their role in scrutinising government, and support from the police.And the police are often reluctant to get involved.Three years after Serbian journalist Slavko Curivija was gunned down outside his home, his killers have still not been found.

Journalists in the region are often paid poorly, and the media do not have enough resources for proper investigative journalism. As Vujovic said, ". every journalist who is doing [their] job well has always to think, what will be the reaction to what I am writing?Will my family have to suffer the consequences?"