Kako se mediji u Srbiji bore za puki opstanak na tržištu, a nisu našli održiv model za ostvarivanje finansijske nezavisnosti, daljim sažimanjem tržišta oglašavanja mediji su dodatno gurnuti u naručje države, a budžetski novac postaje jedan od najznačajnijih i najpoželjnijih izvora za finansiranje rada medija.
Pristup tom novcu je dominantno dostupan samo odabranima i predstavlja snažan mehanizam nagrađivanja „poslušnih“ i medija lojalnih vlasti i kažnjavanja medija koji to nisu. Budžetski novac tako efektivno postaje moćno sredstvo uticaja na uređivačku politiku i fer konkurenciju na tržištu – bez obzira na formu u kojoj se raspodeljuje.
Najznačajnije aktivnosti koje ćemo da sprovedemo su:
• Istraživanje finansiranja medija novcem građana u nekoliko vojvođanskih lokalnih samouprava
• Konsultovanje građana i prikupljanje tema o kojima građani žele da se informišu
• Kreiranje mreže udruženja, medija i građana koji će da prate finasiranje medija na lokalu
Projekat će istovremeno doprineti razvoju saradnje i partnerstva između lokalnih udruženja i medija, kao i jačanju njihovog uticaja na lokalne procese donošenja odluka i kreiranja javnih politika. Osim toga, projekat će doprineti unapređenju okvira za transparentno i nepristrasno finansiranje medija iz budžetskih sredstava, a samim tim i jačanju njihove nezavisnosti i pluralizma.
Projekat je podržao Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Jurnalist’ Safety.
Center for the Democratic Development Europolis from Novi Sad and TV KANAL 9 started with the implementation of the project entitled: Media Content and Media Financing as a Reflection of Public Interest in Local Communities.
As the media in Serbia are struggling for a mere survival in the market, but did not find a viable model for achieving financial independence, further compression of the advertising market is further pushed by the media into the state’s arms, and budget money becomes one of the most important and most desirable sources for financing the work of the media.
Access to that money is dominantly accessible only to the selected ones, and is a powerful mechanism for rewarding the “obedient” and the media of loyal power, and punishing media that are not. Budget money thus effectively becomes a powerful means of influencing editorial policy and fair competition on the market – regardless of the form in which it is distributed.
The most important activities we are going to implement are:
• Research on media financing by citizen money in several Vojvodina local self-governments
• Consulting citizens and gathering topics about which citizens want to get information
The project will at the same time contribute to the development of cooperation and partnership between local associations and the media, as well as strengthening their influence on local decision-making processes and policy-making.
In addition, the project will contribute to the improvement of the framework for transparent and impartial funding of the media from the budget funds, and thus to the strengthening of their independence and pluralism.
The project supported the Western Balkans ‘Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Jurnalist’ Safety.
“This project is funded by the European Union through the small grants programme “Protecting Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression in the Western Balkans” implemented by the Croatian Journalists’ Association as part of the regional project Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety, carried out through partnership of six regional journalists’ associations – Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS), Association of BH Journalists (BHJ), Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA), Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK), Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) and the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (TUMM).”
