FATE OF INDEPENDENT BORBA

Summary: For a month already, in Belgrade, two journals have been published under the same title - Borba. One is made by the editorial staff headed by Gordana Logar, and the other by the Federal Minister of Information who was proclaimed the new acting director and editor-in-chief of Borba. The Federal Government had succeeded in arranging with the court to reach the decision on dissolving the Share-holding Company Borba which exists since 1991, and to make the only daily journal in the country the property of the state again. The bankruptcy procedure has been initiated. Out of 111 journalists, only 9 have agreed to cooperate with the new commissar's management. The entire editorial staff continued to work like before, in deteriorated conditions, of course. The so-called Brcin's Borba (bearing the name of the Federal Minister) is produced in the premises of the Federal Government and does not even resemble the real Borba. It has become a propagandist bulletin of the present authorities with a circulation of some 10 thousand copies and about 80 per cent of unsold copies. The Borba made by its original journalists was also published in about 10 thousand copies, but since the middle of January in only 2.5 thousand and irregularly. Since the printers of Borba had refused to print the independent Borba, a private Belgrade printing works offered its services for some time. After a sudden mechanical failure in the printing works, independent Borba was printed by Novi Sad Forum, with the title of Novi Sad journal Nezavisni above its own, but in the past few days, it cannot be bought again, due to shortage of newsprint. Namely, the state controls distribution of newsprint through the only paper manufacturer in the country, so that, for instance, the independent weekly Vreme is also published with a delay lately, and for Borba which was fully prepared for printing to computer layout, there was absolutely no paper to print it on. Journalists of Borba managed to register a new journal titled Nasa BORBA (meaning: Our Borba) which will soon begin publication. But, for a monthly production, 40-50 tons of newsprint are needed. Journalists of Borba need assistance; since November they have received only 100 dinars and 50 marks each from the Solidarity Fund. No assistance reached the editorial staff yet, but it is expected after the Brussels agreement of non-governmental organizations in mid January.

Our BORBA

AIM, Belgrade, January 21, 1995 This is how citizens of Belgrade spent this weekend

• they were sitting by candlelight for hours, in cold apartments without heating, if they wished to go somewhere around the city, they could do it only on foot, because in several busy spots downtown, the citizens blocked the traffic having lost patience after 24 and more hours without electric power in their homes, and if they wished to read the latest information, the offered possibilities were extremely limited - state Borba, pro-state Vecernje novosti, pro-Governmental Ekspres politika, pro-socialist Politika... There was no independent Borba at the newsstands this weekend, the independent weekly Vreme was delayed, Radio B-92, at the time of broadcasting interesting political programs had one of its transmitters turned off, radio program of Studio B also...

Sombre predictions about obscuration of the media and everything else in Serbia are becoming true, sooner than even the most pessimistic announcements expected. Independent Borba which managed to survive after the Christmas coup of the state, is absent from the market for a few days already. First, a "machine failed" in the printing works which dared print this journal in its special edition, and then Novi Sad Forum which took over printing of Borba with a new title NEZAVISNI was left without newsprint. Simultaneously, Borba prepared by the Federal Minister of Information, who was appointed its Acting Director and editor-in-chief, or commissar as the journalists prefer to call him, is published regularly and persistently in a circulation, as one can learn unofficially, of 10 to 14 thousand, but with also regular 80 per cent of unsold copies.

After the coup perpetrated by the state in Borba just before Christmas last year, when the Share-holding Company was dissolved and Borba returned into the hands of the state, allegedly due to questionable ownership transformation which took place back in 1991, the united editorial staff decided to continue with publishing of their newspaper at all costs, aware, of course, that the struggle about Borba was actually the struggle for liquidation of the only independent daily journal. Noone believes the story about the ownership tangle (the Federal Government was one of the share-holders during the past four years of existence of the Share-holding Company, with 18 per cent of the capital). Even if the manner in which the formerly socially-owned enterprise founded by the former federal state (by the Federal Assembly of the SFRY) was transformed into a share-holding company, in which a businessman was the major share-holder with the right to make decisions, was questionable, the act of taking over of Borba by the state quite clearly revealed the motives of the authorities. The Federal Minister of Information, Dragutin Brcin, started making his Borba somewhere in the premises of the Federal Government, mainly with the assistance of the state news agency, Tanjug. Brcin's Borba became the bulletin of the Socialist Party of Serbia and the Federal Government, which carries two or three signed texts at the most. All the others are either anonymous texts or agency reports. That is how all that is left of Borba, which is now bought only by few curious people or by those who are not informed well enough and do not check "is this our Borba?", is its title and nothing more. Overflowing with hatred, "wanted" posters, accusations, "evidence" about the world being threatened by Muslim fundamentalism, praises of the authorities, Brcin's bulletin wasgiven legal foundations, too. Bankruptcy procedure was instigated against Share-holding Company Borba, all the employees (out of the 111 journalists, only 9 joined the new administrator) were discharged and left even without their December salaries.

And still, the united editorial staff headed by its Editor-in-Chief, Gordana Logar, managed to make a daily newspaper marked by "Special Edition". The circulation was quite small, between 2.5 and 10 thousand copies. The existing distribution network did not accept to distribute the independent Borba, so that it was sold by colporteurs among whom were journalists of all the independent media and citizens who expressed support for the editorial staff in this way.

Until middle of january, Borba was printed in privately-owned printing works in Belgrade, and then, after a short interruption in Novi Sad Forum. However, since it is not on the state priority list for newsprint supply, new problems emerged for Borba, just like for the independent weekly Vreme. For a few days, the newspaper was prepared to the final computer layout, when the information that it could not be printed arrived, because there was nothing to print it on. By means of import permits, through newsprint distribution produced by the only producer in the country - Matroz factory, the state manages to control the media in a new way. The undesirable, the inapt, like the independent Borba, simply cannot buy newsprint.

In the meantime, the editorial staff managed to register the new journal via a privately-owned firm which is the property of its former Director and the major share-holder of Borba, with a new title "Nasa Borba" (Our Borba). In a few days, therefore, a new independent daily is expected to appear in the market, bearing the title practically given to it by the readers of Borba, who kept asking the colporteurs, "Is this our Borba?", to make sure what they were buying.

Under normal conditions, in a normal state, the new-old daily newspaper would be faced with one and only temptation - the market. Nasa Borba, however, is faced with many non-market temptations. The greatest is the already mentioned newsprint, printing, distribution, and, of course, financial resources. Because, except for having managed to remain in their premises (until the end of the bankruptcy procedure), the journalists have lost everything. The newspaper is made on computers in the premises of the Independence Trade Union, and the people who are making it have received, since November last year, only 100 dinars and 50 marks each from the Solidarity Fund. For a monthly production of the newly-registered Nasa BORBA in a circulation of about 15 thousand copies, 40-50 tons of newsprint is needed for the newspaper to be published regularly.

At the special meeting of non-governmental organizations held in Brussels on January 9, it was agreed to offer urgent financial and technical assistance to the editorial staff, even a bank account was opened for collecting aid, but, so far, no aid has arrived.

The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) has no financial possibilities to offer substantial aid. The Association called a special assembly of journalists which reached the decision that they would be in session permanently, until the case of Borba is completed. Data on the unequal position of independent media in newsprint distribution, on pressures exerted on printing works to refuse to print inapt media, on distribution of press are being collected.

As they say in the Association which is also the objective of attacks by the state, since, according to the Law, it is still unable to offer its members even the elementary social security - the only authorized to do it is the state association of journalists, the intention is actually to reveal the mechanisms of discrimination of the free media. The motive is clear - suppressing the freedom of the press - only the methods are new.

Simultaneously, the pen of the fortune-teller who has so far best predicted the events in Sebia, Mirjana Markovic, the wife of Slobodan Milosevic, announces a new chase hunt on independent media. In her latest diary notes which are regularly published in the periodical "Duga", she foretells a purge of foreign mercenaries. "These mercenaries and denouncers who, for foreign currency, organize "democratically" oriented and "independent" media, naively believe that the truth about their activities will not be revelaed. And they naively hope that, should difficult times come, they will be protected by their financiers. But, they will not, of course."

In such circumstances, while reading, in candlelight, Brcin's Borba and diary notes of the first lady of Serbia (proclaimed to be the publishing undertaking of the year), does anyone, but the journalists, care what chance Nasa Borba stands?

Branka Mihajlovic