FOTP 2013 Full Report

Following a seminar with civil society leaders and journalists in June 2011, legislatorsand the minister of communication made a commitment to adopt access to informationlegislation. However, no such law was passed by the end of 2012.Journalists occasionally face harassment, detention, and assault, mainly by theauthorities. These problems increased in late 2011 and early 2012 in the run-up to the Februaryelection. The Committee to Protect Journalists documented at least 12 incidents in whichjournalists reporting on the presidential campaign or its results were either threatened or harmed.In January, one reporter for Agence France-Presse and two from the Senegalese daily LePopulaire were beaten by police officers while reporting on protests in Dakar, despite identifyingthemselves as journalists. Several other journalists were threatened or assaulted by securityofficers or ruling party members for their coverage of election-related events outside the capital.Following the election, attacks and harassment aimed at journalists began to wane in the moreopen media environment fostered by Sall.Many private, independent print publications and three government-affiliated newspaperspublish regularly in the capital, though their distribution in rural areas is irregular at best. Radiois the most important source of news due to high illiteracy rates, and a number of community,private, and public radio stations operate across the country, with more than 80 radio frequenciesallocated to date. The five private television channels that now operate carry mostlyentertainment programming. The only national television station, state-owned RadiodiffusionTélévision Sénégalaise (RTS), generally favors the government in its news coverage. UnderWade, the government had also been accused of selectively granting or withholding statesubsidies to influence media outlets; it remains to be seen whether these practices will continueunder Sall. Foreign satellite television and radio stations, including Radio France Internationaleand the British Broadcasting Corporation, are available and unrestricted. The internet is alsounrestricted, and access continues to grow, with 19 percent of the population using the mediumin 2012.SerbiaStatus: Partly FreeLegal Environment: 9Political Environment: 16Economic Environment: 11Total Score: 36Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 39,PF 39,PF 35,PF 33,PF 35,PFFreedom of the press is protected under Serbia’s constitution and legal system. However, themedia operate in a highly politicized environment, and journalists continue to face physical andverbal attacks. Following presidential, parliamentary, and local elections in May 2012, a newgovernment led by Prime Minister Ivica Dačić did little to reform the Serbian media landscape,which remains constrained by pervasive corruption, regulatory setbacks, and economicdifficulties. Some laws pose a threat to media freedom. Journalists are subject to prosecutionunder the Data Secrecy Act, which protects information of interest to national security, public326