Insight view

10 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE - INSIGHT VIEW
No solidarity among journalists
Ni solidarnost (kao načelo profesije) nije jača strana. Rijetkost je da se ljudi solidarišu sa kolegama iz
sopstvene redakcije, a gotovo da nije zabilježeno da se bilo koji oblik solidarnosti iskaže prema kolegama
iz „konkurentskih“ medija. Izuzetak su fizički napadi kojima su novinari bili izloženi prethodnih godina.
Anyone who works and do its job, has to be paid for it. If this rule is respected in Montenegro,
we would not be forced to owe even 12 salaries to employees in Radio Berane and Radio Ulcinj,
or not to pay contributions on incomes to colleagues from TV Vijesti almost three years….or honoraria
payments to correspondents of Pobjeda for 28 months.
Lack of knowledge on fundamental employment rights and unconditional acceptance on their violation
were some of the main motives
for the establishment of the Media
Trade Union in Montenegro. Although
it is often believed that there is no solution,
the solution is actually simple.
We suggest what functions in every
regulated country, and that is respect
of legal solutions. Montenegrin media
are not free and will not be as long as
their employees work in conditions of
fear and poverty.
588 journalists lost their jobs from
2012 to 2014
Credibility of journalists relies on professionalism
Although the innovated Codex of Journalists of Montenegro was adopted, its fundamental principles
have been abused. The first Codex of Journalists was adopted in 2002, and after 13 years the working
group that was composed of representatives of the Media Council for Self-Regulation, dailies “Vijesti”
and “Dan,” and weekly “Monitor” finished the draft of amendments of the Codex that have come into
force in 2015. Fundamental principle says that a journalist is in service to the public interest and that
the credibility of a journalist and journalism in general is grounded in professional honesty, integrity,
and knowledge. But fundamental principles of journalism are still abused in practice, starting from the
presumption of innocence, lack of publishing of denials, and publishing of personal data of juveniles.
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