Media and Human Rights

By Zoran CULAFIC

Hello and Welcome. From the studios of UN Radio in Kosovo…

At a public debate on media and human rights organized in South Mitrovica, a group of Serb and Albanian reporters and human rights activists asserted - democratic processes have not been implemented fast enough in Kosovo in large part because of the media’s lack of professionalism.

Ibrahim Makoli from the Pristina based Council for human rights stressed during the debate that media reports in Kosovo do not serve the public need for objective information.

Makoli

“It is very clear that journalists in Kosovo are not independent; namely Serb journalists are taking a role of defending “Serbian interests”, while Albanian journalists are defending “Albanian interests”. In this context the media took the role of policy makers, rather then being informative, and unfortunately media entered a competition – who is going to get the most of that pie.”

Issues of who will inherit the biggest media pie are of interest to Fatmir Sheholi. Sheholi is director of Contact Radio in Pristina, the first multiethnic Radio station established after the conflict in 1999. He says Kosovo’s political parties have had undue influence in the media landscape.

Sheholi

“I think that almost 70 per cent of the media, I’m referring to Kosovo Albanian media, took the position of defending political parties’ interests. It is obvious that we have newspapers that defend political views of certain parties.”

Contact Radio director, Sheholi, stressed that a similar politically motivated media environment is present in Serbia as well.

Dusan Janjic, head of the Belgrade-based Forum for Interethnic Relations, estimates that Serbian media outlets are not following the real topics affecting Serbs living in Kosovo.

Janjic

“My impression is that in media in Serbia we present very little of information about Kosovo society, while at the same time there are too many political statements.”

Both Albanian and Serb media outlets are protecting their nationalist interests rather then human rights, says Syle Ukshini, director of Kosovo Prime Minister’s Public Information Office. But, he says that the media is only filling a vacuum left unfulfilled by the political elite in both governments.

Ukshini

“I cannot say what media should do, because someone could interpret it as a dictate, but in general the relaxation of the relationships between Serbs and Albanians should be initiated from the circles of political elites. They should take an initiative, and not the media.”

Dusan Janjic from the Forum for Interethnic Relations says the unfortunate reality is that Balkan media still must evolve if it is to be effective for the populace.

Janjic

“The media is part of a game in which the majority in both Kosovo and Serbia is living better due to reports based on fear, divisions and conflicts, and not due to normalization of [interpersonal] relations and security. It is obvious now the authorities represent those who live for conflict. The problem is that I think UNMIK too is supporting certain media conflicts.”

The public debate in south Mitrovica clearly showed that a cross-section of Serbs and Albanians are not satisfied by the media situation in Kosovo. The majority of participants agreed that media in Kosovo must start to report more on the people most affected by public policy. Still, few suggestions about how to effectively do this were offered.

And with this, we end today’s program – a UN Radio in Kosovo Production.