UNMIK ON AIR
March 17th 2004
JOURNALISTS IN KOSOVO
(By Zoran Culafic)
SLUG:
Professional journalists, regardless of their ethnic origin, bridge the gaps
between divided communities in Kosovo, demonstrating how people in the region
could live and work together.
According
to the International Committee to Protect Journalists, 36 journalists have been
killed globally- while on assignment, in 2003.
This as 12 murder cases currently investigated by law enforcement are
officially unsolved. 2003 was the worst
year in the last decade for journalists who covered events in crisis regions
and war zones.
Hello
and welcome this is UNMIK on Air.
Even
as these statistics present a grim picture for journalists, last year there was
not a single murder case among journalists working in Kosovo. However, being a
journalist in Kosovo today, as well as in the whole area of the Balkans, is not
an easy nor pleasant job as organized crime has taken root and as the region is
recovering from nearly a decade of war.
In
journalist circles of Pristina and Mitrovica, there are a number of
professionals who managed to preserve their journalistic integrity. In this
program, UNMIK on Air talked to Serbian and Albanian journalists who work with
BBC and Reuters in Pristina and Mitrovica as well as two journalists working in
multi-ethnic radio stations, which broadcast in Albanian and Serbian.
As
the last decade of armed conflict has heightened tensions between Serb and
Albanian communities in Kosovo, it seems that ethnic origin is of little
concern to these writers and broadcast professionals. You are either a
journalist, or simply you are not, says, Zorka Djukanovic, a BBC Serbian
correspondent from Kosovo.
Zorka
Djukanovic: I would like to say that journalists in Kosovo, both Serb and
Albanian colleagues, are pioneers of multiethnic cooperation. Some four-five
years ago, in the time when it was inconceivable to see a Serb and an Albanian
meeting each other and talking about any issue, perhaps they were smugglers;
journalists were the only ones who did maintain contacts and exchange of
information. I can freely say – we have extraordinarily decent relations among
our colleagues.
Even
as cooperation exists amongst journalists from different backgrounds, this
contrasts dramatically to the pressure these individuals face from their own
communities and politicians. Much of the leadership in current political
parties of these fragile democratic societies in the Balkans expect journalists
to write exactly what they want to hear. A Serbian Reuter’s correspondent from
Mitrovica, Branislav Krstic describes:
Branislav
Krstic: I’m quite sure there is pressure, but this pressure only sways those
who are not real journalists, or those who are made of, one can say, softer
material. Politicians find that out sooner or later and then it’s very simple –
they call you to hand over some so-called information or news, which represent
their political agenda and demand it to be published. Most often beginning
journalists consider this information to be quite enough if a certain political
authority tells it to you, and you are obliged to publish it without verifying
the facts. However serious journalists are checking such information through
different sources and often do not publish the material because it turns out to
be a fake. The politicians notice that and stop bothering such journalists any
more.
Journalists
in Kosovo and around the region are faced with many obstacles while on the job.
One of the problems is a low salary- an average of 200 to 300 euros a
month. The majority of journalists are
forced to moonlight as freelancers with three, and for some, as many as five
newspapers agencies, radio or TV stations to simply make ends meet.
But
it is not just this economic reality which deters many from working as
journalists- the political situation outside of news bureaus, in the field
thanks to the last 10 years of conflict, have demonstrated that a journalist’s
life can be cheap.
Valentina
Cukic, Contact Plus Radio Director in north Mitrovica survived a failed
assassination attempt and says many journalists have been intimidated:
Valentina
Cukic: Three persons shot at me in June of 2000 in the center of Pristina.
It happened around 8.00 pm in the center of Pristina and to date these attackers
have not been identified, neither the motive for the attack. At that moment I was scared for my life, but
I did not want to escape or run from Kosovo, because I wanted to continue my
work in north Mitrovica. That was my choice. In any case, to be a journalist in
that time in Kosovo was very difficult to be a Serb journalist in Pristina at
that time was very difficult, as difficult as for all Serbs left in Pristina at
that time.
Cukic
adds that although today the situation for journalists is much better, too many
still face pressure and intimidation. For example, in Mitrovica Serb
journalists cannot walk freely in the southern part of the city, nor can
Albanian journalists go freely in the north of the city.
Fatmir Sheholi, is the director of the Pristina based multiethnic--
Contact Radio—which has broadcast its programming in Albanian, Serbian,
Bosniack and Turk since 1999:
Fatmir
Sheholi: That fact that journalism is a difficult job is proven by the case
of my colleague Valentina Cukic who was wounded in that period-- luckily she
survived. I consider it an attack not only at Valentina Cukic, a Serb, but
rather on professional journalism as a whole-- It was at that time and still is
today the sentiment of Contact Radio. And it was not an isolated case. To date,
we have no information about the fate of Contact Radio journalist Marijan
Melonashi, who went missing years ago. Journalism in Kosovo at that time: 1999,
2000 and 2001, even 2002 was an extraordinarily hard profession to undertake
and even harder if you wanted to push the multiethnic concept as Contact Radio
did and still is doing today.
Shaban
Buza: The working conditions of journalists are not that bad especially in
the last 2-3 years, since every editorial office is trying to improve working
conditions. I think that journalists should become more professional and agile,
if I can say so, in their questions and efforts to get more information from
UNMIK and KFOR. Concerning the relations between journalists I think that they
are good and friendly.
Much
like her Serbian counterpart, Buza says the cooperation between Serbian and
Albanian journalists in Pristina and Mitrovica is at a respectable level. It is
an everyday practice that Serb journalists call on Albanian colleagues to
verify facts and share information, and vice versa. Buza also says that very often Serb and Albanian journalists
travel together in mono-ethnic areas while covering stories.
Even
as many journalists can bridge the ethnic divide which separates many
communities in Kosovo, not all journalists are alike. Zorka Djukanovic, a Serbian BBC correspondent told UNMIK on Air
that her experience with Albanian colleagues in Pristina and Mitrovica have not
been the same- saying that she finds not all Serbian and Albanian journalists
to be professionals:
Zorka
Djukanovic: As for me, I have extraordinarily good cooperation with some
Albanians colleagues. Of course, this is not the case with all journalists;
with some of the journalists I don’t have any relations with them, not because
they are Albanians, but because I don’t consider these individuals to be
professionals. The information I get
from them is not accurate enough for me. So, if we talk about professionalism I
think that there is no room at all for any question of being a Serb or an
Albanian. We respect each other as much as we consider the other to be
professional.
Violeta Hyseni: Concerning professionalism among the journalists
here I think that there are medias that are quite professional and accurate in
their work, but that’s not the case with all medias. I think that there is room
for criticism since there are medias which take sides in political situations
and there are medias that are rather extreme even in interethnic relations in
Kosovo.
The problem with professionalism is across the board and according to the Serbian Reuters correspondent, Branislav Krstic, few local media outlets in the region promote quality journalism:
Branislav
Krstic: Reporting professionally – I have to be frank, it means here in
Kosovo to work with BBC or with Reuters and say, Voice of America. These media
are such that don’t allow you to make any mistake. In the local field, we could
say that B92 is in some way professional, I say in some way, because their
correspondents here in Kosovo are quite a different quality. As for the other media, I have to say that
it is quite unbelievable and incomprehensible that Radio Television of Serbia
(RTS) correspondents in Kosovo are so unprofessional, so unqualified, and I’m
quite disappointed. The same refers to some Albanian media here, that accept to
be manipulated and used in political games, most often in pre-election
campaigns. I think that OSCE or whoever is responsible for media monitoring
should react and stop such behavior.
As
parliamentary elections near, the media in Kosovo will be faced with new
challenges in reporting. Journalists like the ones who spoke to UNMIK on Air
urge media regulatory authorities to hold media outlets and journalists in
Kosovo accountable, to assure balanced coverage without fear of reprisals.
That
was all for this edition of UNMIK on Air, thanks for listening and stay tuned
for more.