Zoran Gavrilovic, executive director of the Bureau for Social Research (BIRODI), called on the executives and management of SBB, Yettel Serbia (e& PPF Telecom Group) and Telekom Srbija (MTS) to review the contracts and terms under which they distribute Informer TV and to state publicly whether the channel’s content and rhetoric are consistent with their ethical standards and corporate social responsibility policies.
In an open letter to the cable operators, Gavrilovic said that the leading cable and telecommunications providers in Serbia, whose networks deliver media content to hundreds of thousands of households, play a role in the country’s public and media landscape that goes far beyond the purely technical distribution of a television signal.
“You are key channels of communication that shape the information people receive. In this context, we would like to draw attention to the content broadcast daily on Informer TV. The channel’s programming clearly shows systematic violations of basic journalistic and ethical standards, media legislation and Article 51 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia. Every day, viewers are exposed to blatant hate speech, insults, dehumanisation and the targeting of individuals,” he said.
Gavrilovic acknowledged that operators often cite technical neutrality and their contractual obligations to media content providers.
“However, the principle of distributor neutrality cannot extend to violations of the Law on Electronic Media, the Law on Public Information and Media, or the bylaws governing media service providers. The fact that the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) is not functioning does not absolve cable television operators of responsibility for making Informer TV available on their networks when its programming directly infringes citizens’ constitutional rights, Serbia’s media laws and the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics,” he stressed.
Gavrilovic also said that he had appeared on Informer in an effort to give the outlet’s editors a chance.
“That appearance clearly confirmed and demonstrated that Informer is unwilling and unable to produce media content in accordance with citizens’ constitutional rights, Serbia’s media laws and the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics. Your right to make a profit must go hand in hand with respect for Serbia’s media laws, the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics and citizens’ constitutional right to comprehensive, timely and accurate information. The distribution of media content cannot be treated solely as a matter of commercial profit at the expense of the public interest. As companies that shape the daily flow of information to Serbian citizens, you have a moral and legal obligation to ensure that you do not act as a platform for hate speech, insults and disinformation,” he emphasized.
Gavrilovic added that by including such content in their television packages, the operators — knowingly or unknowingly — lend legitimacy and provide resources, undermine their own corporate standards and bear some responsibility for the toxic nature of public discourse.
For these reasons, BIRODI is calling for an immediate review of the contracts and terms governing the distribution of Informer TV on the cable networks of SBB, Yettel Serbia (e& PPF Telecom Group) and Telekom Srbija (MTS). It is also calling on the companies to publicly state whether the content and rhetoric broadcast by the channel comply with their internal codes of ethics and corporate social responsibility standards, and to introduce procedures for issuing warnings and imposing sanctions on the media outlet’s publisher. These measures should include the possibility of temporarily or permanently removing the channel from their line-ups if it continues to violate the law and basic standards of decency.
“Serbian citizens, as customers, are under no obligation to pay cable television operators for content that is unconstitutional, unlawful and contrary to professional journalistic standards, and that undermines their rights and needs as media consumers,” Gavrilovic concluded.
While Informer remains available to viewers through all cable operators, Yettel has abruptly dropped N1 and Nova from some customers’ TV packages as part of what it describes as a “pilot project.” In response to complaints from customers, the company said it was testing a modular approach to TV packages — in effect, allowing customers to choose which channels they want and pay extra for them if necessary. Customers who decide they no longer want N1 and Nova, however, will pay approximately 2.5 euro less per month.
“It remains unclear what criteria Yettel used to determine which customers would lose access to the channels, or why N1 and Nova were the only news channels removed. The two channels are available only through SBB, which now operates as part of Yettel.
Source: N1
