ZAGREB, May 24, 2019 - Several dozen fake profiles on social networks systematically release fake news toward the European Union and the best way to fight against that phenomenon is to strengthen media literacy among citizens, Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said on Thursday in Brussels.

Minister Obuljen Koržinek attended a meeting of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council and one of the topics discussed was the fight against fake information. The debate was held within the framework of preparations of a report on the lessons learned with regard to the fight against disinformation, which is being prepared by the Romanian chairmanship in cooperation with the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for a meeting of the European Council in June.

"During the debate the ministers presented concrete examples of dozens of fake profiles that have millions of views and who systematically release fake news and which are usually removed by self-regulation by social networks," Obuljen Koržinek said.

The main conclusion during the debate, she said, was that with the appearance of social networks, various anonymous sources have emerged that release false news with a very big reach and with full respect for the freedom of expression and independence of the media, it is necessary to continue with those measures that the EU has launched - to develop an instrument to check facts, spread information about the source of fake news and continue support large networks in implementing their rules of conduct.

"Some truly concerning data was presented about the number of sources who have been proven to have been releasing fake news and have an unbelievable reach. Media literacy was underlined as an essential competency that will enable youth and all our citizens to strengthen their resilience, to learn how to recognise fake news and all that was debated in the context of the European election but also the big risk for democratic processes overall," she said.

Asked whether sources of fake news had been detected in Croatia, she said that there had not been any concrete examples yet but holds that that will begin to occur soon.

She added that some EU member states advocate staying within the current system according to which social networks fight against fake news through self-regulation and that is the approach that Croatia has while on the other hand some states are seeking regulation and penalties.

She added that social networks are not incorporated in media legislation and that this is a question of in whose remit this is.

Obuljen Koržinek said that she had informed her counterparts of what Croatia had done with regard to fake news from "soft" measure like Media Literacy Day, which is held every year and reaches a large number of citizens, particularly youth and measures under which the Council for Electronic Media has established a system that monitors the transparency of advertising.

A strategic project is being prepared and will be developed through an initiative of the electronic media council that will check facts and a contact point at the state government level has been established to share information about disinformation, she added.

More news about media 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 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, April 1, 2019 - Science and Education Minister Blaženka Divjak and Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek, representatives of UNICEF and the Electronic Media Agency on Monday presented the 2nd Media Literacy Days, which will be held on April 8-12 and focus on critical thinking, respect in the media and recognising fake news.

The event was organised by the Agency and UNICEF and will comprise more than 180 events in over 60 towns, including lectures, workshops and film screenings in cooperation with schools, libraries, cinemas, media and cultural institutions from all over Croatia.

A programme called "Children get to know the media" is already being implemented to give students a chance to learn how the media work, how news are created and how to recognise fake news, it was said at the presentation at Zagreb's School of Graphics, Design and Media Production.

Minister Divjak said that as of this autumn, as part of the curricular reform, media literacy would be taught as part of many subjects and that the reform itself emphasised critical thinking. Media literacy is key in the fight against fake news on social networks, in the media and society as a whole, she added.

It is therefore important to connect media literacy with other types of literacy so that we can recognise fake news or pseudoscience, she said. We must be aware of the wealth of information and material we receive through the media, while at the same time adopting ways to approach information and judge if a source is reliable, she added.

Minister Obuljen Koržinek said inappropriate content in the media and on social networks, hate speech, manipulation and news sharing were a big problem which could be fought against by promoting media literacy.

"Regulations or subsequent punishment can only deal with the consequences, but it is more important that as many citizens as possible be taught how to recognise inappropriate content and refrain from sharing it."

Electronic Media Council vice president Robert Tomljenović said only media literacy offered protection from disinformation, manipulation and fraud. Media education must be lifelong and it requires a systematic, strategic and coordinated national approach to media literacy, he added.

The acting head of UNICEF's Croatian office, Đurđica Ivković, warned that violent and inappropriate content on the internet was easily accessible to children and said parents and teachers should be provided with quality media literacy material.

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

ZAGREB, March 26, 2019 - The Internet is the main source of information for most Croatian citizens and is chosen as the most trusted media, an online survey of media habits shows.

The survey, conducted by the Ipsos market research agency in collaboration with the 24sata daily, covered slightly over 1,000 people.

A total of 78 percent of respondents said that the Internet is their main source of information, and 92 percent said they use it several times a day. Those surveyed said they spend about four hours online daily on weekdays, and more at weekends, with almost all age group saying they go online to use email; 82 percent said they do so to seek useful information and 81 percent to inform themselves about current events. Apart from email, more than 79 percent use Messenger for communication.

The survey found that older people use the Internet to seek useful information and for online shopping, while younger people use it to visit social networks, watch videos and listen to music.

The YouTube video sharing website is among the most popular, being used by as many as 93 percent of those polled. Respondents said they spend most of the time on Facebook (24.6 percent of them over two hours daily) to communicate with their friends and family.

The dominance of the Internet among the media in Croatia is also confirmed by the fact that as many as 88 percent of respondents said that they find information online that is not available anywhere else, and 57 percent said they trust the Internet the most, twice as much as television.

Some 54 percent consider the Internet the most reliable media, while 28.2 percent said so about television.

Over 70 percent of respondents said they follow the media to stay informed, 62.3 percent do so as part of their daily routine, and 59 percent use the media to find explanations of events affecting their lives. Some 70 percent follow news websites, 35.6 percent read print editions, and 23 percent use mobile applications.

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

The Croatian Public Relations Association (HUOJ) has presented its awards for best communication projects. Krešimir Macan, the founder and owner of Manjgura, one of the oldest Croatian public relations agencies, was awarded the Grand PRix for his overall work in the field of public relations and an exceptional contribution to the development of the profession, reports prglas.com on March 14, 2019.

“As for Krešimir Macan, we can say that he is for the PR profession in Croatia what Digitron is among calculators, so one of the first associations when discussing public relations in our country. In what we can call political PR, he is surely at the top of the list of relevant Croatian experts whose services, expertise and competencies are equally appreciated and sought after by all political options in Croatia, as well as many in the wider region. He is among those responsible for the fact that in late 2017, after five years and a series of unsuccessful attempts, the harmful ban on the cooperation of state bodies and state-owned companies with public relations agencies was abolished, which certainly deserves recognition and respect,” said HUOJ president Ana Tkalac Verčić.

“After more than 20 years of work, this recognition of my colleagues and the profession means a lot to me. When I started in public relations, few even understood what I was actually doing, and today high-quality communication is the foundation of every successful business and project. Looking at what we have accomplished in the last two decades, I think we can be proud and motivated to continue working even better,” Macan said, receiving the most prestigious professional acknowledgement in the field of public relations.

Macan was first introduced to the public relations field as a teenager, when he worked as a tour guide, although he probably was not aware that he would dedicate his professional career to this field. It is less known that Krešimir Macan has a university degree in electrical engineering. However, his path was determined by the Homeland War, when he held the office of the secretary of the Ministry of Information and later the head of the Information Section of the Foreign Ministry. He has since built a successful professional career with a focus on crisis communication, media relations and strategic communication in politics.

He is happy to share his knowledge and experience with students and colleagues, thereby actively contributing to the development of the profession through his activities with the HUOJ and by participating in numerous conferences and expert panels. He is a member of the renowned International (IAPC) and European Association of Political Communicators (EAPCs) and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). After 20 years of successfully heading Manjgura, last year Macan handed over the agency management to director Katarina Leko.

Translated from prglas.com.

More news about Krešimir Macan can be found in the Business 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.