NUNS: Belgrade City Is Still Co-Financing Pro-Government Media

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The City of Belgrade has co-financed a total of 33 projects this year, while RSD75 million was set aside for this purpose the bulk of which was handed to the pro-government media, the Independent Journalists Association of Serbia (NUNS) said in a statement on Nov. 21.

NUNS said that Studio B had received the largest amount or RSD12 million for three projects. Insajder Tim, Informer's publisher, along with its sister company Info It Media received RSD9 million while Alo and its sister company Bizmedia and Medijska Mreza, i.e. Srpski Telegraf received RSD7 million each, the statement said.

The Association added that the Internet Group company, which publishes the telegraf.rs website received RSD5.5 million, while Novosti, Srbija Danas and Tacno Doo received RSD5 million. The Poljoprivrednik daily received RSD1.8 million, the Amicus organization RSD1.1 million while Udruzenje Sportskih Novinara Beograda, Udruzenje Novinara Srbije, Humani Tim, SOS Kanal and the Purity Media agency were awarded RSD1 million each.

The new rulebook on co-financing the production of media content projects says that commission members need to take into account whether state bodies, regulators or self-regulatory bodies had taken measures against a participant in the contest in the past year, for violating professional or ethical standards. According to the Council for the Press, Alo violated the journalistic code of ethics 12 times in the past year, Alo violated the code five times, Srpski Telegraf and Novosti four times, and telegraf.rs once, NUNS said.