The Turnkey And The Fortress

The SRS and DEPOS insist that television must stop being a one party vehicle, and that pluralism would immediately cut down the influence yielded by the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) in matters concerning the work of the RTS. "We are in a hurry,'' said Zarko Korac, of the Civic Alliance of Serbia (GSS)a DEPOS coalition member, when explaining that the reasons for the hurry can be seen on the screens every day, and that because of the haste, the proposed solutions could be termed as being "transitional.''

Dragor Hiber, another GSS member, does not think it is important which of the majority parties will have a decisive influence on television, and claims that domestic and foreign experience have shown that such influence becomes petrified with time. When this happens, television and whoever controls it, can then help one another in preventing any changes taking place.

The problem mentioned by Hiber refers to practically everything proposed by the SRS and DEPOS. All will depend on who holds a majority in the Assembly.

Hiber admits that the proposals are "transitional solutions'' and believes that the most important thing would be to stop RadioTelevision Serbia's illegal control of the infrastructure (transmitters and frequencies the SRS proposal contains a similar idea) and then to make RTS go through with its program, strictly according to rules.

The SRS and DEPOS did not mention other television stations, leaving them in a no man's land. Hiber thinks that market laws should apply to them (in the issuing of frequencies), and the same rules which would govern the activities of state television. The SRS foresee some rules for the issuing and withdrawal of frequencies, but this concept is not followed through in those parts of the draft law concerning state television. The essence of their proposal lies in limiting the SPS's influence a little, so that they would not encounter a drastically changed situation should they come into power one day.

Antrfile: The Case of Mila Stula

"The manner in which the General Director of RadioTelevision Serbia, member of the Executive Committee of the Socialist Party of Serbia, deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Milorad Vucelic, and Editor in Chief of the Information program of Television Belgrade, Mr. Dragoljub Milanovic, have frustrated work on TV Serbia, is totally incompatible with a democratic society. You knew this, but you said nothing,'' wrote journalist Mila Stula in her letter to the Secretary of the Association of Journalists of Serbia, Kosta Kraincanic. "You refused to publish commentaries and analyses, interviews and round table discussions which would inform the citizens of Serbia of the plans, goals and behindthescene moves aimed against the state and national interests of Serbia and Yugoslavia,'' said Stula in the letter.

Mila Stula has a very bad reputation among opposition parties, from the time of the first elections in Serbia. She is now in an unenviable situation. The Association of Journalists is not an organization which will protect her right to work, and she does not have any backing in the independent newspapers.

In the heat of the debate on the draft Law on Information and the draft Law on RadioTelevision, only one thing need be said: newspapers and television in Serbia will differ from the times when Stula ruthlessly wrought havoc, only when her rights are also protected, by the law and trade unions.