ZAGREB, July 18, 2019 - The Croatian Journalists Association (HND) said on Thursday it was appalled by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović's "scandalous statements ... unworthy of the office she holds, in which she shamefully instructs journalists how to do their job."

"The Croatian president's message to our colleagues, 'Don't follow foreign media which work in I don't know whose interest', aside from accusing our foreign colleagues in a very ugly way and without any arguments, is trying to discipline journalists in Croatia in a very perfidious way to do their job by blindly believing only one side, representatives of the authorities, and not their colleagues, whom she virtually labelled as enemies of Croatia," the HND said in a press release.

Journalists asked the president to comment on the criticisms in many world media of her admission in a Swiss TV interview that Croatian police use violent pushback in dealing with migrants, the HND said, adding that after negative reactions at home and abroad, the president accused the Swiss TV.

"The president ended her statement with an instruction to journalists: 'As Croatian media you must present the Croatian side of the story. Don't follow foreign media which work in who knows whose interest.' This reminds us of the 1990s when some journalists, apologists of the then authorities, publicly said: 'If necessary, I will lie for Croatia," the HND said.

Journalists' job is not to work in the interest of any policy but in public interest, it added.

The president also recently criticised media outlets for misinterpreting her statements.

"I strongly reject an attempt to misinterpret my statements regarding the protection of Croatian borders against illegal migrations. I would like to point out that the Croatian police protects the Croatian and EU border in a legal, professional and humane manner in order to prevent illegal migrations, while applying force to the least possible extent towards law offenders when it is necessary to protect the security of police officers and to ensure the performance of their duties. Maintaining security is the fundamental condition for the stability and development of Croatia and is thus one of my key duties," she was quoted as saying regarding the protection of Croatian borders against illegal migrations:

"Those are the facts, no word play, incorrect translations or parts of statements taken out of context can or will ever change this," Grabar-Kitarović said.

More news about journalism in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, July 8, 2019 - Investigative journalists who are members of the Croatian Journalists Association (HND) said on Sunday that they were concerned about reports saying that the Journalism Department of Zagreb's Faculty of Political Science planned to cancel its investigative journalism course, calling on the faculty to deal with problems concerning the status of journalistic studies to the benefit and future of the journalistic profession.

"The news comes at a time when we witness, almost on a daily basis, top investigative stories that reveal corruption and abuse of authority, bearing witness to the importance of investigative journalism. The news is even more incredible considering the fact that the current faculty dean based his programme, among other things, on the strengthening of journalistic studies. How the cancellation of the investigative journalism course fits into that remains completely unclear," the HNS said in a statement.

It noted that by planning to cancel a course that should be the cornerstone of journalistic studies, the faculty was knowingly ignoring its social responsibility for the education of future journalists and the journalistic profession in general.

The HND further said that it had the impression that even though they were under the same roof, political science studies and journalistic studies did not have the same status.

The umbrella journalists' association also objected to the fact that investigative journalism was an elective course, noting that it should be a compulsory course in serious journalistic studies.

More news about journalism in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, May 22, 2019 - Following increasingly frequent attacks on journalists and the latest death threats against reporters of the Rijeka-based Novi List daily, the Croatian Journalists Association (HND) on Wednesday sent an appeal to state institutions and the public, calling for putting an end to threats and for identifying and punishing the perpetrators.

Addressing a news conference in Zagreb, HND president Hrvoje Zovko most strongly condemned the latest threats against Novi List reporters, sent by e-mail, and written on the building housing the daily's offices in Rijeka, where an unidentified perpetrator wrote "Killers at the typewriter" and "Poisoners of Croatian society".

"The HND cannot accept state institutions' keeping silent about the increase in hate speech and threats to reporters, which we have been warning about for months. We do not see any clear condemnation of threats and attacks. In this case, silence is not golden, it serves as fuel for people who hate everything reporters do and who see in them enemies and not people who work in public interest," said Zovko.

Zovko said that it was unacceptable that the state and its institutions which, he said, "are disintegrating by the day", kept silent and looked on as reporters were being threatened and attacked with impunity.

"We want a strong and adequate response from Croatian institutions. There can be no threats such as 'You will end up like Charlie Hebdo', which is what happened in Rijeka," said Zovko.

The recently elected leader of the Croatian Journalists Union, Maja Sever, said that since 2014, 18 attacks and ten serious threats against journalists had been reported. "My question again is when will our laws incorporate recommendations by the Council of Europe and strengthen the protection and security of reporters and enable the prosecution and adequate punishment for the assailants," Sever said.

Branko Mijić, an HND vice-president and editor at Novi List, said that the latest attack on the daily happened after reporter Bojana Guberac staged an exhibition featuring dozens of threats posted below Novi List reporters' articles on the paper's website.

"What is most worrying is that after editor-in-chief Slavica Bakić wrote an article on the daily's website, one of the comments below her text read 'You will end up like Charlie Hebdo'. When warned that such hate speech will be reported to the police, the author of the comment just replied 'Go ahead'," said Mijić.

"It is only a matter of time when violence against reporters will happen and it will be due to the authorities' failure to react to warnings," he said, adding that attacks on reporters and the state institutions' inadequate response to it should be internationalised.

More news about media freedom in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, May 3, 2019 - On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the Croatian Journalists Association (HND) presented annual awards for 2018, naming reporter Hrvoje Krešić of the N1 commercial TV network Journalist of the Year.

Mario Pusić of the Jutarnji List daily was awarded as the best print media journalist while Ranko Stojanac of N1 was awarded for best television reporting.

Pixsell photographer Robert Anić was awarded for best newspaper photograph while Croatian Radio Television videographers Goran Bunjevac and Milan Živković were awarded for best story contribution.

The award for best online and investigative reporting went to Index website reporters Ilko Ćimić and Oriana Ivković Novokmet for their work on uncovering a scandal which resulted in the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Martina Dalić in 2018.

The HND's Life Achievement award went to Sanja Modrić, until recently a columnist and assistant editor-in-chief of the Novi List daily.

More news about journalism in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 20, 2019 - The Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) agreed with the Reporters Without Borders' warning that Croatia's public TV (HRT) is under political pressure and that the government meddles in the editorial policy, while HRT said the public broadcaster "is independent of any political influence or pressure from promoters of commercial interests."

Croatia gained five places in the Reporters Without Borders' 2019 World Press Freedom Index, ranking 64th, but the organisation warns about political pressure on public TV, physical assaults on and intimidation of journalists on the Internet.

"Government meddling in... Croatian Radiotelevision continues to be a real problem... Interest groups try to influence its editorial policies and interfere in its internal operations" and the "HRT management is even suing employees who have complained about these problems," the organisation noted.

"The HND has for years been warning that Croatian Radiotelevision is one of the biggest problems on Croatia's media scene, because the public service should be a stronghold of free journalism and an institution which promotes pluralism, which it is not," HND president Hrvoje Zovko told Hina.

HRT's lawsuits against its employees, the HND and the media, are "a disgrace for Croatia and it's no surprise that in its latest index Reporters Without Borders underlines HRT as one of the main obstacles to press freedom," said Zovko.

"Generally, press freedom in Croatia is in danger and we believe the prime minister's approach to this problem is dangerous because he negates the existence of a problem everyone else sees," he added.

In a reply to Hina, HRT dismissed the Reporters Without Borders' warnings, saying it "is independent of any political influence or pressure from promoters of commercial interests." HRT said it was independent in its programming and editorial policies and that it fully complied with the HRT Act and its agreement with the government.

More news about media freedom in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 19, 2019 - The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), of which the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) is a member, on Friday issued its manifesto ahead of elections for the European Parliament, scheduled for 23-26 May, to help promote media freedom, media pluralism and quality journalism in all EU member states and countries aspiring to join the bloc.

"Journalism is a public good," the EFJ says, urging policymakers to support its proposals "for the revival of a free, trusted and pluralistic media in Europe, where possible in cooperation with the Council of Europe, the OSCE representative on Freedom of the Media and other relevant stakeholders dealing with media."

Europe needs media pluralism, financial sustainability and the future of journalism, investigative journalism, collective bargaining and social protection for all workers, trust and accountability through ethical journalism, authors’ rights and fair contracts for all, strong independent public service media, and safety at work for journalists, the manifesto says.

Although the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights promotes freedom of expression, media freedom and media pluralism, journalism and journalists are increasingly under pressure, the ECJ warns, recalling that four journalists have been killed in the EU in the last two years.

"The financial sustainability of independent media is at stake, media concentration is on the rise and the increasing power of the internet platforms caused an unprecedented threat to our news and information ecosystem lacking accountability, transparency and regulation," the manifesto says.

"The 2019 EP elections come at a turning point for the European Union which urgently needs to reconnect with its citizens and represent their interests. We wish a forward-looking EU where not only the economy and growth matter but where concrete action is taken to ensure that everyone’s right to know is guaranteed.

"Unfortunately, the solemnly proclaimed European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and the European Semester together with other EU strategies, such as the Digital Single Market (DSM) do not sufficiently provide an adequate framework for Member States to take action to protect (freelance) media workers and journalists, who often live in extreme precarious conditions and thus leave the profession. The future EU budget should help to deliver on EU post-2020 social and non-discrimination objectives, equal treatment for all workers independent of their employment contract, while a renewed political impulse is needed to support journalism as a public vital good," it adds.

The ECJ recommends promoting laws that encourage independent media and thwart the concentration of media ownership, supporting initiatives on monitoring media pluralism and checks to ensure that new EU legislation is consistent with the principles of media freedom and pluralism, and supporting initiatives that enhance gender equality and diversity in the newsroom.

"Media pluralism and democracy require that all voices are heard in the media," the ECJ stressed.

To ensure financial sustainability and the future of journalism, the ECJ recommends supporting initiatives that explore new ways of funding journalistic work, including non-profit financial models, and develop new socially sustainable economic models aimed at financing and supporting professional independent and investigative (cross-border) journalism.

With regard to investigative journalism, the organisation recalls that its role is to "hold institutions and individuals accountable to the public." It recommends abolishing criminal defamation laws, ensuring open access to EU documents and public data for citizens and journalists, and supporting proposals for the protection of journalists who are regularly subjected to lawsuits intended to censor their work or intimidate them.

The ECJ recommends ensuring equal rights and equal treatment for all forms of employment including free-lancers and journalists working in digital media/start-ups through fair working contracts with sufficient social protection.

As for authors' rights, the ECJ recommends ensuring full recognition of journalists as authors and fair and proportionate distribution of their revenues generated in the digital world deriving from such rights.

Warning that public service media is increasingly under attack in Europe, the organisation calls for a sustainable funding model for an independent public service media that serves the public interest, for the protection of public service media against political interference in their daily management and editorial work, and for supporting the need for public service media "to be able to adapt, innovate and develop, with emphasis on the online remit and the need to reach all (and in particular young) audiences."

To protect journalists' right to work freely without the fear of physical violence or imprisonment, the ECJ recommends implementing Council of Europe recommendations on protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors at the national level, monitoring the ongoing investigations about murders and physical attacks against journalists, and engaging against the increasing (online) threats and harassment against journalists and in particular female journalists.

The EFJ is the largest organisation of journalists in Europe, representing over 320,000 journalists in 70 journalists’ trade unions and professional associations across 45 countries.

More news about journalism in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, April 18, 2019 - Croatia gained five places in the Reporters Without Borders' 2019 World Press Freedom Index, ranking 64th, but the organisation warns about political pressure on public TV, physical assaults on and intimidation of journalists on the Internet.

The 2019 World Press Freedom Index is again led by Norway and other Scandinavian countries.

"Croatian journalists who investigate corruption, organised crime or war crimes are often subjected to harassment campaigns," Reporters Without Borders says and adds that "physical attacks, along with threats and cyber-violence, continue to be a major problem for journalists in Croatia."

"Government meddling in the public TV broadcaster HRT continues to be a real problem, with the effect of limiting media independence. HRT is clearly under political pressure. Interest groups try to influence its editorial policies and interfere in its internal operations," the organisation says.

It notes that the "HRT management is even suing employees who have complained about these problems."

"Defamation is criminalised and insulting 'the Republic, its emblem, its national hymn or flag' is punishable by up to three years in prison. Worse still, 'humiliating' media content has been criminalised since 2013."

As for Croatia's neighbours, 2019 World Press Freedom Index ranks Slovenia 34th, Bosnia and Herzegovina 63rd, Hungary 87th, Serbia 90th, both countries dropping 14 places, and Montenegro 104th.

More news about the media freedom in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 9, 2019 - After a meeting of expert task forces in the Interior Ministry and the Police Directorate over the case of reporter Đurđica Klancir, who was IDed by police at her workplace on Tuesday in relation to a private lawsuit against her, the ministry reiterated that no law was violated in that particular case, adding that after the adoption of amendments to the law on police affairs and jurisdiction, police official will be able to establish the identity of any person just by going through the ministry's information system, without going in the field.

The interior ministry said that its task force has completed a draft bill in late 2018 and that public consultation ended on March 4, 2019.

National police director Nikola Milina on Friday once again said that the process of identifying Đurđica Klancir, a reporter for the Net.hr web portal, was lawful and that there had not been any political influence and that the "entire case," emerged because Sisak police had requested the assistance of police at the Trešnjevka police station in Zagreb.

Carding the reporter in her newsroom led to suspicion of abuse of the police system and violation of the Constitution after Klancir posted on her Facebook profile that two police officers had come into her newsroom to card her, explaining that they were doing so at the request of Sisak police, who were requested to do so by an attorney of Sisak-Moslavina County Prefect Ivo Žinić, a prominent Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) official, who is suing the reporter for defamation.

Asked to comment on the opinion of constitutional experts that the Constitution had been violated and whether he would step down if any irregularities were identified, Milina said that the "most important thing is that police officers act freely, independent of any political influence."

"In this case the police acted routinely, the two police stations communicated mutually with each other," Milina said. According to him, the objections are being collected and a meeting of the police directorate has been convened to analyse overall police practice. "The most important thing is that police officers act lawfully, regardless of who is in question, equally toward every citizen regardless of their profession," Milina reiterated.

Responding to claims by journalists that attorneys have been claiming for days that they were never given that sort of police assistance as Žinić’s attorney was given, Milina said that police officers and police stations regularly provide attorneys with information, that is regular procedure.

"In this case the police officer at Sisak police station did not determine beyond doubt, I saw a lot of comments that he could have, however he did not determine that. He requested the assistance of police at the Trešnjevka police station in Zagreb and that resulted with this case," Milina said.

Interior Minister Davor Božinović on Thursday said he had convened a meeting of top officials in the police directorate to inspect the existing rules in detail in this regard to see whether they can, or should be amended so that neither citizens nor police are found in a similar situation due to imprecise rules.

A police union on Friday once again called for Milina's resignation and called him out for misinforming the minister.

Commenting on the case of reporter Klancir, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said on Thursday that if police conduct in the case should prove to be problematic, it was up to those in charge to deal with the problem and he announced possible changes to rules of police conduct or the police law if they proved not to be sufficiently clear.

"If the police officers acted lawfully, if their conduct was in line with professional rules, and if despite that there is a problem, it's up to those in charge of the police system to deal with it. If the problem concerns insufficiently clear rules that were defined by the minister of the interior in 2010, then we can deal with it promptly by adopting certain changes, and I will sign them," Božinović told Hina in Brussels where he was attending a meeting of the EU ministers of the interior.

He said that upon his return to Zagreb he would convene a meeting of the Police Directorate to discuss in detail existing rules and see what can or should be amended so that citizens as well as police officers do not find themselves in situations such as the one in question due to possibly unclear regulations. "If that requires changes to certain laws, we are authorised to launch a legislative procedure," said the minister.

The Croatian Journalists Association (HND) has condemned the case as an act of political and police pressure" against the journalist and the Union of Police Officers has called on Božinović to replace national police director Nikola Milina over the case in which, it said, police were used for political purposes.

"This is not the first case where rules are interpreted differently. On the other hand, as minister I have to do my best for citizens not to feel intimidated or under pressure in cases of standard police conduct, as was this case," said Božinović.

He said that the Police Directorate, in charge of police conduct, had established that police officers in the specific case had acted in line with the law. "But, if certain conduct, regardless of its lawfulness, can cause disputes of such proportions, we have to ask ourselves... what we can do to avoid them in the future," said the minister.

"It is important that there is no hidden agenda, that police did not act on an order that would be outside the usual, legal procedure. The information I have received from the Police Directorate suggests exactly that... but I repeat, it is also our job to make laws and rules better, in the interest of all, and we will do it."

The head of the parliamentary Domestic Policy and National Security Committee, Ranko Ostojić of the SDP party, told a press conference on Friday that the committee would call on the Interior Ministry to explain why the police went to the Net.hr newsroom to card one of its reporters, Đurđica Klancir, based on a request by an attorney representing Sisak-Moslavina County Prefect Ivo Žinić in a private defamation lawsuit against Klancir.

Ostojić, who referred to this as an example of abusing police authorities in an attempt to scare the reporter, expects the matter to be discussed by the committee next Wednesday as part of a debate on a bill of amendments to the Police Law,

Ostojić expressed his opinion that the draft amendments were further step in reducing the parliamentary surveillance of the police work.

"We had a serious case in which the police in trying to determine the identity of reporter Klancir, burst into her newsroom in such a way that is not appropriate for the police procedure," the opposition MP insisted.

"Something that may be legal does not mean that it is not necessary to respect fundamental human rights prescribed by the Constitution and that is to apply those measures that are required to achieve a purpose that is lawful, because it is true that someone can seek information but the tactics used (In this case) were absolutely wrong," Ostojić said.

More news on the media freedom in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 7, 2019 - US Ambassador to Croatia W. Robert Kohorst said on Thursday that reporters should not be prevented from telling the truth but that they do have to be responsible for what they say.

Asked to comment on a reporters' protest against censorship held in Zagreb last Saturday, Kohorst said that the United States believed that there was nothing more important than freedom of the press.

"The United States is very much in favour of freedom of speech and hopefully journalists have the freedom to write articles that are both truth and informative," Kohorst said at a regional conference on the prestigious Fulbright Scholar Programme.

The ambassador said that he did not know much about the specific details of the protest but that he believed that there was good freedom of the press in Croatia. "I think that lawsuits that are not appropriate should not be done and we should not try and keep journalists from telling the truth but they do need to be responsible for what they say and hopefully there can be a balance between freedom of expression and telling the truth," said Kohorst.

Commenting on the case of reporter Đurđica Klancir, who was carded by police at workplace on Tuesday in relation to a private lawsuit against her, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović said on Thursday that if police conduct in the case should prove to be problematic, it was up to those in charge to deal with the problem and he announced possible changes to rules of police conduct or the police law if they proved not to be sufficiently clear.

"If the police officers acted lawfully, if their conduct was in line with professional rules, and if despite that there is a problem, it's up to those in charge of the police system to deal with it. If the problem concerns insufficiently clear rules that were defined by the minister of the interior in 2010, then we can deal with it promptly by adopting certain changes, and I will sign them," Božinović told Hina in Brussels where he was attending a meeting of the EU ministers of the interior.

He said that upon his return to Zagreb he would convene a meeting of the Police Directorate to discuss in detail existing rules and see what can or should be amended so that citizens as well as police officers do not find themselves in situations such as the one in question due to possibly unclear regulations. "If that requires changes to certain laws, we are authorised to launch a legislative procedure," said the minister.

Klancir, a reporter who works for the web portal Net.hr, was carded by two police officers at workplace on Tuesday and the police officers told her that they were doing so at the request of an attorney who was filing a private lawsuit against her on behalf of Sisak-Moslavina County Prefect Ivo Žinić, who was suing her for slander.

The Croatian Journalists Association (HND) has condemned the case as an act of political and police pressure" against the journalist and the Union of Police Officers has called on Božinović to replace national police director Nikola Milina over the case in which, it said, police were used for political purposes.

"This is not the first case where rules are interpreted differently. On the other hand, as minister I have to do my best for citizens not to feel intimidated or under pressure in cases of standard police conduct, as was this case," said Božinović.

He said that the Police Directorate, in charge of police conduct, had established that police officers in the specific case had acted in line with the law. "But, if certain conduct, regardless of its lawfulness, can cause disputes of such proportions, we have to ask ourselves... what we can do to avoid them in the future," said the minister.

"It is important that there is no hidden agenda, that police did not act on an order that would be outside the usual, legal procedure. The information I have received from the Police Directorate suggests exactly that... but I repeat, it is also our job to make laws and rules better, in the interest of all, and we will do it."

More on media freedom in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 7, 2019 - A union of Croatian police officers on Wednesday sent a letter to Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović, asking him to replace the national police director, Nikola Milina, over a case involving reporter Đurđica Klancir in which, the union says, police was used for political purposes.

Klancir, who works for the web portal Net.hr, was IDed by two police officers at workplace on Tuesday and the police officers told her that they were doing so at the request of an attorney who was filing a private lawsuit against her on behalf of Sisak-Moslavina County Prefect Ivo Žinić of the HDZ party, who was suing her for slander.

The Union of Police Officers (SPS) believes that police were used for political purposes in the case, which it describes as an attack on media freedoms. The police were used as the long arm of politics to intimidate the reporter based on a request by an attorney for a local politician who is a member of the ruling party, the union said.

The politician in question can be often seen in the company of Marko Rašić, who serves as Zagreb Police Department head and used to head the Sisak-Moslavina County Police Department, the union said.

Police could have established the reporter's identity also through the Ministry of the Interior's information system, the union said, noting also that the latest amendments to the Police Act that had been drafted without the participation of any police union, would put the police entirely under the control of politics.

MOST MPs Nikola Grmoja and Ines Strenja Linić will call for the parliamentary Committee on Information, Computerisation and the Media and the Domestic Policy and National Security Committee to discuss the abuse of police powers in the case of reporter Đurđica Klancir, the party said on Wednesday.

MOST believes that this is yet another example of intimidation and attempt to control the media by those in power to prevent reporters from writing about numerous scandals.

"It is unbelievable that HDZ County Prefect Ivo Žinić sent the police to identify Đurđica Klancir. This is an unprecedented case because police don't take action on a call from a private person - in this case the attorney, who on behalf of his client, Prefect Žinić, called the police to personally go and collect information from the reporter," Nikola Grmoja, who is a member of the Media Committee said.

He believes that that could have been done based on a written request, however this government's aim is to stifle any freedom of the media and to demonstrate their power.

Strenja said that the party would submit a motion for the Domestic Policy Committee to examine the case due to justified suspicion that the police had been misused. "Public trust in institutions is already very low, and the more cases of this nature the more people are buying one-way tickets to Ireland and Germany," Strenja said.

More news on attacks on the independent media in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.