ZAGREB, March 9, 2020 - Leading world experts will participate in an international conference on media literacy, which will be organised by the European Commission, the Ministry of Culture, and the Agency for Electronic Media (AEM) on 31 March and 1 April in Zagreb, the AEM announced.

One of the main topics of the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union is media literacy in the digital environment, and the conference titled "Media Literacy in an Ever-Changing World: Integrate. Gather. Empower." will be held as part of the official programme of the presidency.

The AEM emphasises that the conference will be the central event of the European Week of Media Literacy, which this year coincides with the Croatian Days of Media Literacy.

One of the conference participants is American expert for media literacy Renee Hobbs, the founder of the Media Education Lab and a Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Rhode Island. A member of the same panel is Professor Brian O'Neill, the Director of Research, Enterprise & Innovation Services at the Technological University Dublin, who deals with researching the influence of new technologies on youth, online security, and digital environment policies.

One of the prominent European experts in media education and cultural diversity, Divina Frau-Meigs, a professor of media sociology at the Paris University of Sorbonne Nouvelle, will speak about the importance of national policies and media literacy strategies. Professor Frau-Meigs is also the consultant for media literacy at UNESCO, the European Council, and the European Commission.

More media news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, January 31, 2020 - Women are still unequally represented in the European audiovisual and media sectors, which makes the public promotion of gender equality and diversity extremely important, it was concluded at a European meeting on gender equality in the audiovisual sector in Zagreb on Thursday.

At the meeting, which took place in the Croatian Journalists Association (HND) offices, information mapping on gender equality in the AV sector was presented and conducted, and good practices identified so far were described.

The results of a research project were also partially presented. The project lasted for two years and was conducted in association with various organisations, including the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), the European Audiovisual Production (CEPI), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Actors (FIA).

According to data presented at the meeting, only 24% of all radio, television, and newspaper reports published in 2015 worldwide were about women, in 2014 female journalists received three times as many offensive comments on Twitter as male journalists, and as many as two-thirds of female media workers were harassed or threatened on social media in 2018.

The situation in the audio-visual sector is, unfortunately, not good, as far as gender equality is concerned. However, we can see some improvement over the last two or three years, as well as a considerable rise in hiring female directors, producers, and screen writers, said Dearbhal Murphy from the International Federation of Actors, who presented the project.

At the panel, members of the Croatian audiovisual sector presented data on women as audiovisual authors in Croatia, and pointed out the small percentage of women working on film and TV series sets.

Director Katarina Zrinka Matijević presented data on the participation of women in Croatian film making from 1990 to 2018, according to which only 7% of films made in the period were directed by women, and women composed only 2.7% of soundtracks, while they were much more represented in production (23.6% -26%), and they played the most important role in costume design (94.2%).

More news about gender equality can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, November 20, 2019 - The total profit of television broadcasters in 2018 was 143.3 million kuna, shows an analysis conducted by the Financial Agency (FINA) on the occasion of World Television Day, November 21.

In 2018, there were 52 companies broadcasting television programmes with 3,794 employees, their total revenues amounting to 2.3 billion kuna, up 2.3% from the previous year.

Their expenditure was 2.1 billion kuna, 0.6% more than in 2017, and they earned 143.3 million kuna in net profit, 7.8% more than in 2017.

Thirty-four broadcasters operated at a profit of 155.5 million kuna, an increase of 4.8%, while 18 incurred 12.2 million kuna in losses, a drop of 21.3% compared to 2017.

The average monthly net salary in those companies in 2018 was 7,295 kuna, 1.6% lower than in 2017 and 30.6% higher than the average monthly wage in all companies in Croatia, which totalled 5,584 kuna.

The sector leader was Croatian Radio and Television (HRT), with a total revenue of close to 1.4 billion kuna, which accounts for 59.5% of television broadcasters' total revenues. The HRT also earned the highest profit, of 81.3 million kuna, and had the most employees, 2,741, whose average net wage was 7,181 kuna.

Nova TV was second in terms of the number of employees - 324, with a total revenue of 418.7 kuna and a net profit of 51.9 million kuna. Nova TV is followed by RTL Hrvatska, which in 2018 employed 265 people. Its total revenue amounted to 342.6 million kuna and its profit to 13.4 million kuna.

Unlike the 2008-2012 period, when television broadcasters operated at a net loss, which in 2012 amounted to as much as 169.2 million kuna, in the 2013-2018 period positive results were achieved, and the highest net profit was recorded in 2018, according to the FINA analysis.

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

ZAGREB, November 8, 2019 - The Croatian Journalists Association (HND) said on Thursday it was shocked by a Virovitica Municipal Court sentence against journalist Ivan Žada as well as recent sentences against the media in which the plaintiffs are members of the ruling HDZ party, adding that it would notify the international public.

On November 6, the Virovitica court gave Žada a suspended sentence of four months with one year's probation for recording without authorisation a phone conversation with HDZ MP Josip Đakić and posting part of it as a transcript on Facebook and the Index.hr website. The sentence may be appealed.

The conversation took place in October 2018 after Đakić's son Ivan threatened Žada that he would "break his neck" or "pay someone in Zagreb 500 euro to do it."

Žada said he called Đakić to tell him that "because I was afraid for my safety and the safety of my family," and that he told Đakić he was a journalist.

The HND believes the sentence is not in line with European standards of protection of freedom of expression because that was not a private conversation and that state officials' communication with journalists is always of public interest.

The HND has been concerned about other recent sentences against the media in cases in which the plaintiffs were HDZ members.

HDZ vice president Milijan Brkić was recently awarded 40,000 kuna in damages pending appeal over an article in Večernji List daily which criticised him.

The Split Municipal Court recently delivered a sentence against Slobodna Dalmacija daily over journalist a comment by journalist Andrea Topić on inventor Luka Vuković, who was awarded 30,000 kuna in damages. The court ruled against the newspaper because Topić mentioned that Vuković is a member of the HDZ, which is in power in Split county, and implied that he received money from the county budget for one of his inventions because of that.

In particular, the HND criticised the part of the sentence in which judge Maja Anušić said that a column "cannot state something that cannot be defended in court" such as "positions, opinions and ideas."

The HND said it would notify the international public that journalists were being given suspended sentences in an EU member state which would chair the EU in the first half of 2020.

More news about pressures on journalists in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, November 6, 2019 - The executive committee of the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) on Wednesday decided to leave the Ministry of Culture task force working on a bill on electronic media, the HND has reported.

The HND said that the ministry had not incorporated any of its proposals in the draft bill which the HND submitted to the ministry in late August after it had been presented with the working material in late July.

"We note that the HND entered the task force responsibly, in good faith and with the best intentions, expecting that we all had the same goal - to improve the media in Croatia in performing their democratic role in society," the HND said.

The HND considers that it is not good that after 15 years the ministry has decided, without having defined a media policy or adopted a new media law, to prepare only the bill on electronic media of all media-related laws.

"We regret that we were not included in the entire process of defining the content of comprehensive legislation and we are under the impression that decisions were adopted outside the task force," the HND noted.

The HND's most important proposals were to secure the independence of the Electronic Media Council and transparency in selecting its members, increase the financing of the fund promoting electronic media pluralism and diversity, and clearly define the fund's mission.

The HND proposed that the fund's resources be used exclusively to support quality media content and professional journalism, that the law incorporates the obligation to adopt statutes of editorial boards in electronic media, that abuse of public money for advertising be prevented and that the share of broadcasting licences for non-profit media be determined.

The HND underscored that the bill on electronic media was geared towards further commercialisation of the media and requested that priority be given to local media production, particularly by the Croatian Radio and Television public broadcaster.

In conclusion the HND noted that its proposals for the new bill were based on the association's document "Eight demands against censorship" that it had forwarded to the government during a protest rally by reporters earlier this year.

The HND decided to abandon the task force after Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek on Monday told a SEEMF media conference that the bill on electronic media would be put to public consultation in two to three weeks.

More news about the status of journalists in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, November 5, 2019 - The law on the Croatian public broadcaster HRT, passed in 2010, provides for the production of programming that is now outdated and not in keeping with current trends, Andreja Arežina Grgičević, editor in chief for the HRT's website and non-linear media services, told the South East Europa Media Forum (SEEMF) in Zagreb on Tuesday.

"We need more money to be able to produce new content because we will find ourselves in a situation where we are fighting big players such as Netflix and Amazon. We, of course, do not have that money because since 2012, when the monthly subscription was set, we have been getting the same amount of money and have had to produce more programming," she said.

She added that of the monthly fee of 80 kuna, 55 kuna goes towards the production of programming and the rest to the Media Pluralism Fund and other institutions connected with broadcasting and the activity of the public broadcaster.

"If we now decided to increase the subscription fee, and under the law it could be up to 1.5 percent of the average monthly salary in Croatia, we would immediately face pressure from various social groups, not just political ones. Speaking about the HRT can score political points, and it can be heard in public that public television is not needed, that it does not produce the kind of programming it should and that the subscription fee should be lowered," Arežina Grgičević said.

She said that the HRT was facing pressure from political and social groups and was trying to produce programming in accordance with the HRT Act and the agreements with the government while at the same time trying to cope with fast changes in the media sector.

"We are in a situation where we have to abide by the law and where politicians decide on the director general and choose the Programming Council. We cannot speak of immediate dependence on politics, but pressure is coming not just from politicians but also from different social and interest groups," Arežina Grgičević said.

Speaking at a panel discussion on public media services facing financing problems and political pressure, Professor Viktorija Car of the Zagreb Faculty of Political Sciences said that the situation at the HRT in the last 15 years was "the worst ever" because the management was incapable of ensuring prerequisites for satisfactory programming benefiting all citizens.

Belmin Karamehmedović, the director general of Bosnia and Herzegovina's BHRT public broadcasting service, and Susanne Pfab, the director-general of the German public-service broadcaster ARD, also spoke about problems faced by public media services.

More news about Croatian Radio Television can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, November 5, 2019 - Croatian Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said on Monday that a draft bill on electronic media would be put to public consultation in two to three weeks and that she believed that it would contribute to "preserving the diversity and sustainability of the Croatian media."

The minister made the statement at the opening of a two-day international media conference called the South East Europe Media Forum (SEEMF).

Obuljen Koržinek said that during work on the bill, information was collected primarily on the state of electronic media but that problems were also identified regarding the revenues of print, local and non-profit media.

She noted that Croatia's presidency of the EU would focus, among other things, on the issue of media in a changed media environment and the role of Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) as the public media service.

"It is crucial to ensure the attained level of autonomy in relation to sources of financing because the HRT subscription is constantly questioned," the minister said.

Obuljen Koržinek described professionalism as the main challenge for the HRT. "We have been witnessing a long-lasting erosion of professionalism, not only at the HRT but on the entire media scene," the minister said, underlining the need for independence from any political influence.

"As for guidelines and priorities that we consider important in the further development of our media policies, emphasis is put on improving the quality of the media. It is clear that without free and independent media, a society is neither free nor democratic," she said, adding that currently everyone was faced with a flood of fake news and misinformation.

Journalists who attended the first discussion held as part of the conference pointed the finger at the incumbent government, "as one of the most non-transparent governments, lacking the minimum respect for media, media freedoms and reporters' questions."

"We don't want anything from the government or the ministers, we must fight for our freedom on our own. But what we do expect of the government is to not sabotage us, arrest us, sue us and financially destroy us," said Index website reporter Ilko Ćimić, describing the situation at the HRT as a "disgrace for the entire country".

Croatian Journalists Association (HND) president and HRT journalist and editor Hrvoje Zovko said that print media reporters were currently in the most difficult situation due to pressure from their managements. He also said that there was a large number of lawsuits against journalists.

"What is happening with the media in Croatia is a disgrace for the EU as well. We live in a country where you can be convicted if you publish true information. The government's fight against fake news is bizarre because that same government generates the fake news is it fighting against. The incumbent government, headed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, acts irresponsibly and is the main reason why reporters are described as the cause of all problems," said Zovko.

The 13th edition of the SEEMF focuses on the future of public broadcasting and print media in Southeast Europe, with emphasis on financing, autonomy and new business models.

More than 300 journalists, editors, executive directors and media owners, media experts, spokespeople and members of the academic community are attending the event.

The SEEMF is organised by the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) in cooperation with the German Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the Central European Initiative and in partnership with the South East and Central Europe PR Organisation (SECEPRO), the International Academy in Belgrade and the International Institute - International Media Center, Vienna, SEEMO says on its website.

More media news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

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, June 1, 2019 - Sweden's Tele2 AB has agreed to sell its Croatian business Tele2 Croatia to United Group, a leading telecoms and media provider in Southeast Europe, for 220 million euro, the telecom said on Friday.

The transaction provides an opportunity for the company to realize value from the successful development of the Croatian business and to further advance its strategy with a focus on the Baltic Sea region, the company said.

"We are proud of the business we have built in Croatia and especially its outstanding development in the last two years, driven by our talented employees and our valued customer base. We believe Tele2 Croatia will create even greater value for our customers going forward, as part of United Group’s family of telecom and media companies. For Tele2, this opportunity enables an increased focus on successfully executing our strategy in the remaining footprint. I would like to thank the Croatian team for their engagement and many contributions to Tele2 over the past 14 years," said And Tele2 President and CEO Anders Nilsson.

The transaction requires approval from relevant regulatory bodies including the Croatian Competition Agency. Closing is expected before the end of 2019.

In 2018, Tele2 Croatia generated revenue of 1.9 billion Swedish krona and reported an adjusted EBITDA, excluding IFRS 16, of 268 million krona. At the end of last year, it had 897,000 subscribers and 310 employees.

United Group is a leading connectivity and media provider in South East Europe. It has the broadest network coverage in the region with 3.82 million subscribers and offers both local and international content. United Group has operations in six countries, including Croatia, where it owns the Nova and N1 Tv stations, and employs around 4,400 employees. Its headquarter is situated in Amsterdam.

More news about IT industry in Croatia can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, May 27, 2019 - Participants in a conference on relations in the media and judiciary and restrictions on freedom of speech and hate speech in Zagreb on Monday concluded that media freedom must not be jeopardised but that it has to have some restrictions and must not include hate speech.

Justice Minister Dražen Bošnjaković said that the judiciary and media have to work on future relations and that the judiciary has to become accustomed to the independence that does not necessarily mean that no one should be allowed to comment or write about the work of the judiciary, while the media, when covering court proceedings, have to do it in appropriate manner, particularly taking into account the constitutional presumption of innocence.

Media outlets are often full of current court proceedings and practice has shown that the media have often created an atmosphere of a public lynch of certain people, and then a conviction would not be handed down confirming that and when the case and evidence is examined it becomes obvious that there were no grounds for a conviction as had been suggested, Bošnjaković said.

Hate speech on social networks are full of excessively nasty posts while the legislation tackling the matter is just at its beginning.

He added that the European Union has a protocol that regulates procedures in removing content of that nature and filing charges while Croatia has a standard framework that needs to be upgraded. He announced that that will be done parallel with the EU which is preparing a directive in the regard in addition to the existing protocol.

The ministry has prepared a bill on hate speech on social networks which will be further fine-tuned this year, he added.

Supreme Court Vice President Marin Mrčela said that comments by readers on electronic media sometimes stir up amazement and more often regret.

Nevertheless, hundreds of good court decisions go under the radar and the question is why media most often report more about negative matters and why corrections are not published on cover pages, Mrčela remarked.

Culture Minister Mina Obuljen Koržinek said that media legislation exists on a fine line between freedom of expression and restrictions that are being introduced in order to protect those who could be jeopardised by those who inappropriately exploit that freedom. She said that the ministry is currently in the process of beginning to revise Croatia's media legislation.

Preparations on a bill on electronic media are well underway with the intention of aligning it with the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive so that the legislative framework can be adapted to fast technological changes in the media industry.

We are also considering amendments to the Media Law in cooperation with civil society organisations. However, there are different opinions on which direction those amendments should be heading in, she said.

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