THE PRICE OF PUBLICITY

Two Stories from Sarajevo

AIM Sarajevo, 17 April, 1998

Municipal authorities of Ilidza, the after Dayton reintegrated part of Sarajevo, sealed an occupied apartment on the ground of an advertisement in newspapers. The issue becomes much more interesting when the fact is added to this that the tenant of the apartment is a woman of Serb ethnic origin who has remained here after reintegration, and that the mentioned newspaper is close to the ruling political party. In the newspaper which is a daily and which has daily at least a couple of pages full of ads such as - apartment to "sell, buy, exchange, rent, lease, offer, seek" and so on, nobody knows who published the ad which included the full name of this Sarajevan and her wish to "due to moving from Sarajevo, lease the apartment to a Shehid family with children". It is interesting that inquiring in the editorial office of the said newspaper, through friends and colleagues, revealed that they had all noticed the ad (because the name of the lady, but the content of the ad as well, were so conspicuous), but also that nobody had enough journalistic curiosity to try to write a story about it.

This was the immediate cause why we decided to find out the manner in which all three daily Sarajevo newspapers which all have this column, publish ads. The answer received in all three editorial boads was the same: these ads, along will obituaries, are just an additional activity of their advertising services, something like an advertisement of the dailies themselves because they publish them free of charge, if they have no more than ten words and if people bring along the coupon also published regularly in the dailies. It is intersting that these "small ads" are not received by phone, but nobody checks the identity of the persons who bring them. The coupons are not kept, but after being entered in a computer, they are thrown away. In all the editorial offices they said that they had cases of incorrect ads, in other words, it sometimes happened that the ads did not refer to the person who brought them, but "that probably a neighbour wished to play a joke on somebody", they said. They also all said: "Where would it lead us if we checked them all?" According to this logic, and based on the story from the beginning, it can be concluded that anybody can publish that an acquaintance or someone whose name they happen to know intends to kill a man, and the authorities and the police can immediately arrest the "potential murderer" (in Ilidza, they would probably immediately sentence him, without even checking the allegation, or an investigation or anything else) - the media are untouchable, especially if they are from "my political backyard".

The conclusion, when newspapers are concerned, is self-evident - it is a public space and paid for, because newspapers are sold at a price which is not at all low - one convertible mark or one German mark, and anybody can write in them whatever he/she pleases and how he/she pleases, without those who are responsible for that space taking any care about it. Moreover, you do not even have to pay for such appearance in public, if you do not mention a name of an enterprise or similar, that is, if you are not advertising something. Responsibility for publicly written or spoken word is not mentioned by anybody over here, nor is it even considered. Of course, the quantity of work connected with "small" ads in daily editorial boards should not be disregarded, but this example should remind everyone that routine must not everywhere be a rule.

In order not to lay full responsibility only on newspapers and their employees, we tried to find something out about it in municipal administration, for example, on what grounds an apartment can be sealed and what it in fact means - to seal an apartment? Especially when one knows that on 4 April, the Law on abandoned apartments has ceased to be in force. In Ilidza municipality, in its competent secretariat, we were sent to the service in charge of housing problems, and there we were asked to address their director, Mr Haris Trnka, "for all information", since he is in charge of everything in connection with housing in the Canton of Sarajevo. Mr Trnka has an office in Sarajevostan, but it was impossible to get in touch with him, because he was either outside or at a meeting. The mentioned gentleman is known in Sarajevo, among the homeless, the refugees and the displaced, but also possible returnees, for the fact that in his office, he has no data base about vacant and occupied apartments, names of those who wish to return, but drawers of his desk are full of keys of vacant (?!) apartments in Sarajevo which will bring happiness to the fortunate ones who are "dear" to Mister Trnka or, perhaps, which he has grown fond of, or those who know somebody who knows Trnka and who is dear to him. And they also say that Mister Trnka has another thing in his drawers - small pieces of paper on which he writes messages for the local police - the message probably goes along with the keys - and probably reads : "Do not touch, it is under protection!" (The message probably says something not as blunt as this, this is just a journalist's exaggeration). The mentioned gentleman is known even among his associates as a "tough nut - if he does not want something - he does not want it, and that is that".

Therefore, the first story ended with no consequences for anybody but the heroine - the mentioned citizen of Ilidza who, fortunately, was not late coming home that day. Had she been late, she could have been left without her home. About the non-material damage she suffered along with members of her family, fear which remains, far-reaching disappointment, doubts about who had done it and why, for what purpose - not a word has been said.

The second story is similar in a sense. A B&H opposition, but parliamentary political party, as part of its election campaign, put up posters with a caricature on it on walls of buildings all over B&H. Based on findings of one of cantonal inspection services, representatives of this party were invited for a hearing, and when the investigator was not satisfied with what he heard, and he obviously did not like the content of the poster, a "decision on guilt" followed, and then the indicted were sent to court, and after the trials, appeals, then new trials, they were sentenced to pay not low fines at all. The foundation of Sarajevo cantonal authorities for the whole process was the "legal regulation on sticking up posters in unpermitted places and with no permit" which nobody could say the registry number of, nor where the mentioned regulation was published, that is - which were the unpermitted places and who issued the permits.

After insisting, and even a question of a deputy in the parliament of the Sarajevo canton, the answer was that it was a "recently passed document". Since the mentioned political party is represented in the parliaments on several levels, the cantonal inclusive, it was easy to check and find out that the mentioned document simply did not exist. To make things even more "real", after "instructions" from the cantonal authorities, from two Sarajevo municipalities, this political party got a permit to put up whatever it pleased, but not on "the buildings of the police and post". Is there a legal foundation for the proceedings now, and is it by any chance the notorious Law on cleanliness of the Canton? (Perhaps this law conceals the foundation of the advertisement from the beginning of this story, or perhaps it is a law about some other cleanliness?) But perhaps it is important to know that some moves of the current authorities were presented in the caricatures on the posters (separate lessons in schools for pupils of different ethnic origin), and also certain individuals from the very top of the ruling political party (after polemic between Latic and Vesovic).

Not even after this story did anybody have to take consequences, except the mentioned political party - inflicted damage to the reputation, disturbed campaign, and it had to pay a fine.

But, another problem is opened here - the introduction of censorship by the back door. While in the canton of Sarajevo, or in the Federation and whole of B&H for that matter, there is still no law on media (in the past few days, a discussion is taking place about the draft of this law, but only in the canton of Sarajevo), via media, both electronic and printed, anybody can say and write whatever he/she pleases. The only censorship is his/her conscience or the editorial policy of the media, if something like that exists. The closer the media to the authorities, political parties or individuals in power, the smaller the possibility for the author to bear consequences. But, if something is publicly written, even if on an ordinary wall, in the form of a graffitti, which is not agreeable to the authorities, the author will be found and punished or at least abused.

Rubina CENGIC

AIM SARAJEVO