THE ICE WAS BROKEN

AIM, ZAGREB, May 22, 1994

"The anti-fascists are shouting, yelling, threatening, provoking, and taking their swords out of their sheathes. Someone has spoiled their images and they have raised their heads. They are riding on their brooms and are attacking the windmills. Here they are under the window, in the city squares, on the streets, on the screens, in the loudspeakers, under the beds, in the streams, in water pipes and the sewarage, everywhere around us - suddenly awakened antifascists... The only result this belligerent, terrible, intolerant, war-mongering, anti-Croatian antifascism can yield is nothing but fascism. And that is the ultimate goal of the inspirers. Lucky are those who have no afterthoughts, but who are, by defending their past and their conscience, still have understood nothing. The seventy-year-olds, with their lives, their ideologies, wish to burden the new generations and they are even offering them their program for the future. In the name of that generation, I hope that we can send word to them: leave us alone with all those traumas and apparitions of yours. I keep praying to God whole night: God Almighty, take them, so they will not be able to poison the youth who do not wish to live their lost battles."

This is the message sent to Croatian anti-fascists ten days ago by a former Communist Party official, the last secretary of the League of Communists in his newspaper, a journalist who swore by "our brilliant and dear party", a fan of Tito's and a supporter of brotherhood and unity, who always, in those "dark ages", flirted with the hard-core members and the dogmatists. But this is not an isolated phenomenon in Croatian public, especially and of course, in journalism. There are many who have understood everything overnight, unveiled all their delusions, and changed their attires. The Croatian leadership is, after all, swarning with former antifascists, partizans and ex-communists, and there are really few of those who are now sitting in armchairs of editors-in-chief or have a right to have their photos published who have never been holders of the "red membership card." One could say that this is a large-scale, or a "normal" phenomenon, but what distinguishes this case of an antifascist from the others is the fact he is one of the winners of the "Golden Pen" award, donated by the Croatian Journalist Society for exceptional journalistic achievements. The name of the newly fledged believer who prays all night long that God finally takes a whole generation, appeared only two or three days after this shameful message in the impressum of the "Slobodna Dalmacija" newspaper, at the spot reserved for the editor-in-chief. Josip Jovic - that is what the name of the man who has offended all the norms of the journalist profession, its code and the Statute, who could thus become finally "responsible" or "meritorious" for disintegration of the journalist organization to its components.

How can anyone explain and justify the fact that after four years since the fall of Communism, all those who are engaged in journalism must still be together in the same organization, regardless whether they are employed in Vrdoljak's "Cathedral of Spirit" (TV), minor party newspapers such as the "Glasnik HDZ" (Croatian Democratic Community Gazette), "Hrvatski vojnik" (Croatian Soldier), the pro-state (pro-party) newspapers such as the "Vecernji list" (Evening Newspaper) or "Glas Slavonije" (the Voice of Slavonia), the rightist and Ustashe "Hrvatski vjesnik" (Croatian Courier), the moderate and increasingly objective "Vjesnik" (Gazette) or the independent "Novi list" (New Gazette), the leftist "Feral Tribune", or the ultra-leftist "Hrvatska ljevica" (Croatian Leftists)? Differentiation in Croatian journalism took place a long time ago. Unfortunately, most frequently, on an ideological basis, but essentially it was a differentiation between professionals and the others. The time has come, it seems, to ratify this, to establish formally the existence of Croatian pluralism in journalism, as it already exists in newsstands, and incresingly on the air, and even on TV screens.

Namely, judging by the diversity in the central Zagreb square of Ban Jelacic, Croatia is slowly but surely, and hopefully irreversibly, escaping the dreariness Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) had tried, and succeeded, to push the press into. Considering that its election victories give it the right to the entire space in the media, the HDZ persistenly strove to clean the news-stands of everything it thought inadequate. After the "new democrats" managed to silence the weekly "Danas" (Today) and "Slobodna Dalmacija" (Free Dalmatia), to take over the "Vjesnik", "Vecernji list" and a series of other newspapers, especially local ones, and to conquer the Radio and the Television, thanks to pressures from Europe, but numerous journalists too, who refused to be transformed into "new brooms" for cleansing the air, a part of the merit having to be attributed to the anaemic Croatian Journalistic Society, there is a real boom of new media in Croatia.

The appearance of the "Feral Tribune", the monthly "Erasmus" and privatization of the Rijeka "Novi list" bought by the newly employed, the "Arkzin", a monthly of the Zagreb Anti-war Campaign (all sponsored by Soros Foundation) meant that the ice was broken. At that moment already, one could cry out: It is moving after all! And now: The ice was broken! Only in the past several months, besides the always inviolable "Globus" (Globe) with the biggest circulation of about 200,000 published copies), former communist leader, Stipe Suvar, initiated a journal "Hrvatska ljevica" (Croatian Left Wing), the second volume of "Start nove generacije" (the Start of a New Generation) edited by a former journalist of "Slobodna Dalmacija", Zvone Krstulovic, who does not even try to conceal his leftist orientation. The "Europski magazin" (European Magazine) was printed for the third time, which, rumours say, belongs to the liberals, and is edited by a former columnist of "Slobodna Dalmacija", Zeljko Zutelija. There is the monthly "Magazin", owned by a former journalist of the "Arena" and the husband of the most popular journalist of the "Vjesnik", Miro Crnjakovic, then the "Panorama" edited by a strange three: Marko Markovic (a former journalist of the notorious ST), Goran Milic (a former famous editor of Belgrade TV, and later of Sarajevo Yu-Tel), and Pero Zlatar. The market is simply flooded with issues for the fair sex: "Mila", "Vita", "Glorija", "Bebe", "Novi svijet", "Beata"... Then there is a series of professional and semi-professional newspapers and journals such as "Banka", "Croman", "Yet set", and of course, a dozen of rightist minor newspapers, such as the mentioned "Hrvatski vjesnik" which is still issued with the subtitle: "Political Serbs, be damned wherever you are".

Time will show what will manage to find a way to the market out of this multitude, but one thing is certain: Croatia has finally got a market of the press, and this has enabled a numerous army of 600 journalists who were left without jobs to somehow survive. The number of editions in Croatia can already be counted by hundreds, and there are plans for more. The appearance of a true news magazine such as the former "Danas" is eagerly expected, because that is what the Croatian market lacks at the moment, because the "Globus" is a bit too "colourful", and the "Feral Tribune" is a strange combination of satire, humour and analysis. At the moment, the only thing known is the name of the future weekly ("Pecat" - the Seal) and some of the members of the editorial team, which will, naturally, be formed of the journalist from the original "Danas".

So, although the war for readers' souls has already started, the war for spectators is not even in sight yet. Pursuant to the Croatian Law on Public Information everyone has the right to start a private radio or TV station, but the catch lies in the fact that the law on telecommunication has not even been adopted yet, and the ruling party refuses to publicize the conditions for the existence of other TV stations other than the state TV. Noone knows how many frequencies are available, nor what concessions will cost, not even what contents will be allowed on the future TV programs.

The draft of this law was expected to be on the agenda at the last session of the Assembly, but due to the crisis caused by the conflict inside the HDZ and founding of the Croatian Independent Democrats, not even the deputies, least of all the journalists, got the new text of the draft which was supposed to be cleansed of all notions and implications of either open or concealed monopolism. This regime is fully aware of the power of television, especially in a society which is on the verge of poverty, so it would not be surprising should the adoption of the law be postponed for "better times", when early elections will not be threatening the party in power. But, who knows whether the ratio of powers will change in the meantime, or whether Tudjman will dissolve the Assembly before the Law comes on the agenda?

But, nevertheless, at this very moment there are some ten local television stations in Croatia: from Zagreb, Osijek, Cakovec, Pula, Vinkovci, to Vodice (a village near Sibenik). This also proves that life cannot all be reduced to stereotype. Some tend to believe that something is after all changing even in Croatian Television. Nomination of Mirko Galic, the former editor of the "Danas" and the present correspondent of the "Vjesnik" from Paris, the youngest (this year's) winner of the journalistic life award, for the post of the Director of the Television is interpreted as easing of the party bonds. Let us wait and see!

In any case, events are not lacking in Croatian media, and they are not all black or white. For the end, a riddle: what do you think, what newspaper published this "happygram": When I see the deputies of the Croats, I am so proud that I wish to go to Greenland, to Thula, and regret that I am not from the tribe of Zhulu; there is just one small thing we do not have in common - we fought for Croatia, and you fought for power.

No, it was not the "Feral Tribune", but that same newspaper with a lie in its very name ("Slobodna Dalmacija"-Free Dalmatia), and that same newspaper in which the former marxist who prays to God Almighty to save Croatia of the antifascists is the editor-in-chief.

(7 pages) GOJKO MARINKOVIC