More than 300 Serbian state TV (RTS) employees and around 40 of their retired colleagues issued an open letter to RTS management saying that the end of the blockade of the public broadcaster does not mean the end of the fight for objective reporting from the institution.
Students blockaded the RTS buildings in Belgrade for 14 days, demanding the cancellation of the old competition and announcement of a new one for members of the regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) Council. After the parliamentary Culture and Information Committee announced a new competition on April 28, the blockade ended.
During the blockade, RTS broadcast its main news program from an unknown location, which was kept secret even from employees.
The employees reminded the management that, during the blockade, they did not address any of the workers nor provide information about proper conduct during the crisis situation. They added that during this time, a small circle of people produced programming in which students were labeled as Nazis, the area in front of RTS was described as a ghetto, and employees fighting for objective reporting were called blockers.
“We fought for our institution, while you fought for your positions!” the employees emphasized in their open letter, adding that management continues to violate basic journalistic principles.
RTS workers accused management of once again endangering the public service and further fueling social conflicts.
“Among us are those who raised this institution from the ashes after October 5, and they know well what a difficult task that was. We demand that you stop violating journalistic code and ethics, and allow our institution to regain its dignity,” the employees requested.
They also appealed to management to refrain from retaliating against colleagues who spoke out publicly in the previous period, who were summoned for interviews with the Security Intelligence Agency (BIA) and “humiliated in statements” in the prime time news broadcasts.
“None of them spoke ill of our institution; they critically addressed those editors and journalists who humiliated our institution by flagrantly violating the journalistic code,” the RTS employees emphasized.
Source: N1
