Is Kosovo's RTK truly independent?

09/10/2009

Bloggers question the way things are run at Kosovo's public broadcasting service.

By Besa Beqiri for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 09/10/09

Pristina, Kosovo [Getty Images]

Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) is an institution of great significance for the country's democratic development. Founded by the European Broadcasting Union and the OSCE in 1999, it consists of a nine-member board of directors and a broadcasting operations unit that offers programmes in five Balkan languages.

It has also become a focal point for controversy, following several reports in the media that suggested the public broadcaster is under the influence of political and other interests. Koha Ditore, for instance, ran a story alleging that Prime Minister Hashim Thaci pressured RTK Director-General Afrim Zatriqi to hire a government pointman as the head of RTK's news desk.

Speculation soared last month when director Zatriqi resigned for "personal reasons". The media and the blogosphere speculated he was forced out due to political pressures.

The RTK's board is now in limbo. Kosovo parliament's ad-hoc commission -- led by Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci -- has selected only six of the board's nine members, prompting reactions from RTK's independent union.

Kosovo's Constitutional Court held a hearing Wednesday (October 7th) on the contract between RTK and the Kosovo Power Company (KEK), according to which citizens must pay an additional 3 euros per household to RTK in their KEK utility bills.

Bloggers generally express a lack of trust in RTK, though not everyone agrees.

"There will be no more RTK without Afrim Zatriqi," Lulja opines. She believes only a person of his ability "could face the politicians and preserve editorial independence".

Her predictions are dire. "Now, my friends, you will see how RTK will look like; it will start with praising the government and end with praising the government."

Ngucakeqi blasts the broadcaster for lack of professionalism and independence. "Except for some professional anchor persons, I would have swept away the others or I would have sent them to school for further education."

But Bashkimi disagrees. "It is a moral and personal right to resign, and that is why Zatriqi's resignation should be treated as such. Let's not overpoliticise this resignation. I believe RTK has a lot of well-known people who know to manage this media -- the only public media in Kosovo -- even better. What remains to be done is to select the best."

Roni believes Zatriqi personifies the corruption at RTK. "Very bad, they are stealing as much as they can and then resign when they should be imprisoned."

The RTK situation "is really disturbing" for democracy in Kosovo, writes pi, lauding Zatriqi for managing "to make RTK the most watched television in the region".

Gjilani adds an interesting viewpoint: "RTK is a family television. But the problem here now seems to be if [Prime Minister]Thaci or Ramush [Haradinaj] will get the television. It is better that we, the people, don't pay for RTK. In any case, there is nothing coming from them -- even the news they broadcast they take from the internet; that is why the information is two days old."

It all amounts to ripping off taxpayers, Skelja concludes. "Nobody is opening the topic for discussion about the 3.5 euros we pay for the RTK with the KEK bills, and you know how much income the RTK collects with those 3.5 euros. This has to finally stop. This is plundering the Albanian people. And if this man has resigned, this is a very small problem, which is not important at all."

Finally, OJ sums up the general consensus. "This is not what we want. [We want] a democratic Kosovo with freedom of speech."