Journalists and Politicians

WHO WILL HAVE THE LAST WORD

AIM Podgorica, March 20, 1998

In contrast to the official circles in Serbia in which the Prime Minister Marjanovic accused the independent media for first causing monetary chaos, and then for conflicts in Kosovo, the situation in Montenegro is quite different. While President Djukanovic underlines the importance of the independent media in times of announced reforms and democratization, and Vujanovic's cabinet promises state assistance to the independent media, local party leaders accuse those same independent media of becoming so powerful to be able to destroy entire parties and coalitions.

First Slavko Perovic's Liberals accused Stanko Cerovic, the RFI editor, for abusing his journalistic function when he claimed in his radio show that the Liberals have reduced the chances of the reform bloc at the forthcoming parliamentary elections with their decision to run on their own and have thus lent Milosevic a helping hand. Next was Drago Cukovic, head of the reporter bureau of the "Daily Telegraph" in Podgorica. Just when Bulatovic's men suspended all cooperation with him (dissatisfied with the number of demonstrators he gave in his reports), it was the Liberals' turn to attack him on state TV. The immediate cause were speculations regarding the composition of the new Montenegrin Government and the possible participation of the Liberals in that Government. Correspondent Cukovic was reproached for his anti-Montenegrinism and cooperation with the ruling structures.

The DPS of Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic did not sit on its hands either. All of a sudden the Municipal Board of Podgorica engaged in investigative journalism and run through its scanner the magazines "East" and "The Voice of Zeta", close to Bulatovic's political party. The diagnosis is known - they are not on the line. When the Liberals formed their own deputy club in the Montenegrin Parliament, the hitherto head of the deputy group of the coalition "National Unity" taught the journalist of the independent daily "The News" a public lesson on state TV blaming him for misunderstanding the true reasons for the establishment of this club.

After that Harun Hadzic, President of the SDA of Montenegro voiced his protest. He accused the independent journalist Seki Radoncic for "treacherously" breaking up his party with his texts published in the Sarajevo "Avaz". On the other hand, Momir Bulatovic's party showed its intention to create editorial policy. Its Vice-President, Predrag Bulatovic, did not show up in the studio of the private TV station "Sky Hour" because he did not agree with the choice of the editor, its subject and guests.

Where did this avalanche of accusations against the work of independent media come from? If it is even remotely true that some independent journalists are able to break up a party in this multi-party system with their texts then it is only logical to ask - what kind of party is it anyway? In all probability something else is in question. "In their attempt to take a favourable position for the forthcoming early parliamentary elections, party leaderships have become too touchy to any objections and with their hasty reactions try to create an impression among the public that everything is in perfect order in their ranks", said Srdjan Darmanovic, political analyst from Podgorica and added - "On the other hand, when a journalist is once labelled then everything he writes becomes suspicious".

"There is nothing strange in parties attempting to take control over the molding of public opinion. But, it is not good in a democratic country for parties to have a monopoly over public opinion because political parties are not the only thing public life is made of", thinks Professor Dr.Milan Popovic from the Podgorica Faculty of Law.

It is therefore not surprising that parties have agreed to exclude journalists and their associations from drafting the new Law on Information. They have rejected, for example, the CSCE suggestion to include representatives of the Association of Professional Journalists of Montenegro (which gathers journalists of state controlled media) which is for five years now a member of the International Federation of Journalists, in the Council for the Protection of Public Information which is in charge of the preparation of the Law. And the reason is well-known: it will be much easier to decide on professional ethics without the presence of journalists so that they would not have a possibility of defending the profession.

And when quarrels result from mutual dissatisfaction of both politicians and journalist, then things which broader public never before paid any attention to or did not know about come to the surface. Similarly, this break-up between the Liberals and the independent media revealed the fact that some of the journalists critics of Perovic's LSCG were once members of that party - Nebojsa Cagorovic, Reuters correspondent for Montenegro (former Foreign Relations Secretary of that Party), Miodrag Vukmanovic, editorialist of "Monitor" (former Vice-President of this Party), Zoran Ljumovic, Manager of the "Antena M" radio station (former head of the deputy club of this party in Montenegrin Parliament) and Slobodan Rackovic (a prominent LSCG activist), correspondent of the Sarajevo "Liberation"...

"When during the war and general hypocrisy we were of the same stance as Perovic and were also members of the LSCG, the leader did not treat our independence with irony. Now, it seems that he has changed his tune. Perhaps only because assessments and stands of once "honourable intellectuals" no longer coincide with those of the Liberals", wonders one of those named, Zoran Ljumovic, Manager of the "Antena M" radio station.

Obviously, the Liberals have most openly started a showdown with journalists, particularly those who were in their ranks until yesterday. As for other parties, especially the ruling one, it seems that they have realized that it is better to be on good terms with journalists. It is wiser, and easier, to win them over than to make enemies of them. Consequently, after the change of course and turn towards the reform programme, the authorities are looking for independent journalists through various kinds of arrangements. This is mostly professional involvement in the state media, but there are cases of former independent journalists joining the propaganda activities through the ruling party's media pool. They all refuse to formally join any party, but editorial concepts of these media are generally driving them in that direction.

As far as the ruling party is concerned, it has inherited the remnants of the previous system and its own activity - the practice of appointing party officials to leading positions in the media. The most blatant example is the daily "Victory", whose Director Dragan Djurovic is at the same time head of the DPS deputy club, while its editor-in-chief, Slobodan Vukovic, a member and activist of that same party.

A member of Kilibarda's National Party, Mico Kovacevic is assistant editor of Radio Montenegro, while Rifat Rastoder, Vice-President of the SDP, is a long-time journalist of the mentioned "Victory".

"Earlier, in communist times, unsuccessful politicians became journalists while today a reverse process is at issue - not so successful journalists become politicians. However, characteristic for both periods, the one-party and the multi-party system alike, is a hidden desire of journalists to become politicians one day", observes Dr.Milan Popovic.

Branko VOJICIC

AIM Podgorica