Serbia’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) is expected to discuss possible measures against TV Informer at a meeting on Wednesday, following calls from media associations and civil society organizations to revoke the broadcaster’s license.
The decision to place the issue on the agenda was agreed at a consultative meeting of the REM Council on Tuesday, attended by six members, according to the Belgrade-based newspaper Danas.
The council also agreed on a new rulebook governing the selection of members of the Management Board of Serbia’s public broadcaster, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).
On October 27, representatives of media and journalists’ associations, civil society organizations and the academic community submitted an initiative calling for Informer’s broadcasting license to be revoked.
At a meeting on October 29, council members agreed that all previous complaints against Informer would first be compared with the allegations contained in the initiative. New proceedings would then be opened in cases not covered by earlier complaints.
Ivana Stevanović of the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, one of the signatories of the initiative, told Danas that the council should review Informer’s activities over the past two to three years, including complaints filed before the current council was established.
“I expect them to do everything within their legal authority and, above all, to do it quickly enough to stop what is happening on Informer as soon as possible. We should not lose months over this procedure,” Stevanović said.
She added that, until the conditions for permanently suspending the broadcaster’s operations are met, the council could impose interim measures, including a temporary ban on broadcasting.
Concerns over divisions within the regulator
Vanja Macanović of the Autonomous Women’s Center, another signatory of the initiative, expressed less confidence that the council would take action.
She said she expected little progress at Wednesday’s meeting and accused four REM members of continuing to obstruct the launch of proceedings against Informer.
“Until the ninth member of the REM Council is appointed and the Assembly is constituted, REM remains essentially blocked,” Macanović said.
Since its formation in late September, the council has been divided several times over how to handle Informer.
A unanimous decision to place the broadcaster under monitoring during the election campaign was subsequently reversed following a vote by four members: Council President Stevica Smederevac, Snežana Miljković, Milan Petković and Miloš Garić.
Four members described by Danas as independent — Rodoljub Šabić, Dubravka Valić Nedeljković, Mileva Malešić and Ira Prodanov Krajišnik — had previously proposed temporarily suspending Informer’s broadcasts. Instead, the council considered issuing a formal warning.
Informer editor-in-chief Dragan J. Vučićević also attended one of the council’s meetings, where he presented his defense for more than an hour during proceedings initiated against the broadcaster.
What penalties can REM impose?
Serbia’s Law on Electronic Media provides for five measures that REM can impose on broadcasters:
- A reprimand.
- A warning.
- A temporary ban on broadcasting specific program content for up to 30 days.
- Temporary revocation of a broadcasting license.
- Permanent revocation of a broadcasting license.
Permanent revocation is предусмотрed, among other circumstances, when a broadcaster repeats a violation for which its license has already been temporarily revoked.
The council’s upcoming discussion does not mean that a decision to suspend or revoke Informer’s license has been made. The regulator must still consider the complaints and follow the procedures established by law.
