President Poplasen vs. Media

Insulting Comparison

President of Republika Srpska Nikola Poplasen compared the situation in the media of RS with that of the media of Nazi Germany in the thirties, accusing Serb Radio-Television and independent media of treason and of being in the service of foreign interests

AIM Banja Luka, 25 February, 1999

Media in Republika Srpska have become the target of most severe criticism ever. This time, both the state and the independent ones - all in the same boat.

"The situation in the media in RS is very similar to the one that prevailed in Germany, in the media, in the thirties, at the time of the rise of Adolf Hitler to power", declared to state Glas srpski Nikola Poplasen, president of RS. The president especially swooped down on state television station - Serb Radio-Television (SRT), which he called treacherous and which he said was "destroying the institution of the president of the Republic working in foreign interests". Poplasen linked such accusations of SRT to the role of international administrator Dragan Gasic, who he said was "ruling contrary to the Constitution and law, in the manner of a dictator".

Attacks on state television have arrived from the ranks of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) and the Serb Radical Party (SRS) ever since it has ceased to be controlled by them. Attacks occasionally became more severe during election campaigns, but never have they exceeded the limits of criticism which is considered as an inevitable part of political marketing. Satisfaction with election results took the edge off the criticism of the media until the crisis arose concerning election of prime minister and putting Brana Miljus up as the candidate. That is when the media became more critical of the president and his political strategy. In one of its contributions, state television carried parts of an interview of the candidate for prime minister Brana Miljus given to Krug 99 independent Sarajevo television station, showing to the public that Poplasen has chosen a deserter who was advocating a multiethnic cabinet, arrests and extradition of war criminals, return of refugees, in short a prime minister who has completely different views from those attributed to him by Poplasen. On the day of the vote of confidence to Miljus, Dnevne nezavisne novine (Daily Independent Paper), on its front page carried the known war photograph of Poplasen in black Chetnik uniform and a very critical text on his political (in)consistency.

After the political "Miljus episode", on several occasions Poplasen used his appearance in media to criticise SRT and "certain media". Each time, the criticism was left without arguments, and used qualifications such as "disgraceful" and "anti-Serb". A few times Poplasen was a guest of state television and used even that opportunity to criticise it. On one occasion the television responded to criticism in a letter signed by its mentioned administrator Dragan Gasic.

In the latest attack on the media Poplasen did not fail to mention independent media. This time he attributed them the anti-Serb position and the attempt to "destroy the institution of the president in foreign interest". "It is not the matter of just petty financial corruption of persons worth between 50 and 100 marks, but clear ideological corruption of ideals and an orientation which has nothing to do with interests of the netions in this space", says Poplasen, not failing to inform the public that these media are financed from places "far from this space".

The Union of Independent Journalists of Republika Srpska reacted immediately with a statement for the public in which the comparison of the situation in the media of RS with that in Nazi Germany in the thirties was qualified as "the severest accusation of the media and the greatest insult of the journalists' profession". "Even if the president had a single reason for such a judgment, we cannot believe it that it refers to all the media. That is why we demand that president Poplasen give arguments for such an accusation and publicly explain his stand", it is said in the statement of the Union of Independent Journalists.

From the Union of Independent Journalists president Poplasen was reminded that as a leader of a political party which was not in power, thanks primarily to independent media, he was given the opportunty to publicly state his ideals and stands, and even sharply criticise his political opponents.

On that very same day, Rajko Vasic, minister of information in the government of RS, issued his statement in reaction to Poplasen's criticism. Commenting on Poplasen's statement that SRT was destroying the institution of the president of the Republic, Vasic says that he is destroying his own image and that he has shown this by nominating Brana Miljus candidate for prime minister. The comparison with media in Germany in the thirties was evaluated as catastrophic by Vasic and he demanded that Poplasen offer arguments to the public or submit resignation. Concerning the accusations of SRT, Vasic says that they are arbitrary and unfounded and reminds Poplasen that he has "inherited" the supervisor from the previous government of Gojko Klickovic.

Since crticism of the president mostly referred to SRT as the greatest and the most significant media, it is striking that the other journalists' union - Union of Journalists of RS, did not react although it gathers mostly journalists of state media. Not a single editorial appeared in reaction to Poplasen's accusations. The two described reactions show that journalists of state media are defended by the minister of information, and independent media by their union. The statement of the Union of Independent Journalists was carried only by Nezavisne novine, while Glas srpski and SRT have not mentioned it at all.

Accusations and disputes between Poplasen and the media should open a serious debate on professionalism of the media and their social role. Politics obviously still expects the media to be in the service of its interests and conceptions, and the media are not quite sure how to act in order not to be used by politics. Probably that is the reason why journalists are silent when the president is expressing his disapproval.

Branko Peric

(AIM)