Employees of Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS, gathered under the “Our pRoTeSt” initiative, submitted a petition to the Serbian Parliament on Monday morning, calling for the launch of a new procedure to elect members of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) Council. The petition was signed by more than 23,000 people.
Marija Miladinovic Lisov, a journalist with the RTS news program, told N1 that the petition represents the collective effort of RTS journalists and staff who want to see their institution unblocked as soon as possible.
“Our institution is currently held hostage by an anonymous editor, who uses an unidentified email address to spread hate speech during our news programs. That’s not just my opinion—that’s the position of all major journalist associations,” Miladinovic Lisov said. “Comparing students to Nazis, or describing the area around the RTS building as a ghetto, is a blatant form of hate speech,” she added.
Asked if she expects the Monday session of the parliamentary Committee for Culture and Information to result in a new call for REM Council candidates, she said such a move would be in the best interest of both the public and the authorities.
“A free public media service is a platform where all voices can be heard. It’s time to stop turning a blind eye to what everyone can see. Without free journalism, there can be no progress in any area of society,” she told N1.
Miladinovic Lisov emphasized that RTS employees ultimately answer to all the citizens of Serbia, and only to them
Source: N1
