SNH: Croatian Journalism Burdened by Problems, Media Freedom Threatened

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, May 3, the Croatian Journalists’ Association (SNH) warned on Thursday about the deteriorating position of journalists and media, which directly threatens media freedom and the public’s right to quality information.

Croatian journalism is burdened by problems. The situation in private media is particularly concerning, where permanently employed journalists are under significant pressure from owners who systematically reduce and revoke their rights even when they are operating positively, states the press release signed by SNH President Anton Filić.

Journalists without employment contracts, so-called fake freelancers, as well as an increasing number of students, are in an even worse situation. Inspections should not turn a blind eye to the widespread abuse of “student services” through which employers, especially in some television houses, obtain cheap journalists who are almost in a slave-like relationship with their employers and often have to return part of their earned money to their bosses, emphasizes Filić.

>>> Modest Progress in Media Freedom in Croatia

In the media, underpaid and frightened journalists often work who do not dare to address the most serious problems in our society such as corruption, nepotism, political trading, the dysfunction of the judiciary, etc.

“There is too little investigative journalism and too much superficial and gossip journalism, for which the main editors bear the greatest blame as they have (due to negative selection) lost responsibility towards journalists and journalism and are increasingly becoming an extended arm of the owners. We cannot have free media and quality information if professionals who need to report, investigate, and inform the public are neglected,” the statement says.

Despite this, journalists must not give up, as readers, viewers, and listeners have the right to fair and truthful information. Only for such journalism can we say that it is a public good, just like public health or education, states SNH.

The union therefore reminds of the basic tenets of journalism, as summarized by the famous American journalist and publisher Joseph Pulitzer. He emphasized that “a journalist must always fight for progress and change, never tolerate injustice and corruption, always fight against all forms of appeasement, constantly oppose the privileged and public embezzlers, always empathize with the poor, always support the public good, never be satisfied with merely publishing news, always be completely independent and not be afraid to attack evil.”