Bosnian media raises international concerns

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) have called on authorities and politicians at all levels in Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) to take immediate action to improve the situation of the media in the country.

In a statement, they say that in order to safeguard media pluralism and the role it plays in a healthy democracy, authorities need to tackle the financial and functional problems of the Bosnian Herzegovinian public service broadcaster (BHRT), look again at the new proposals to criminalise defamation and address restrictions on freedom of expression and the media.

They go on to ask for a sustainable funding solution for public service media, for urgent amendments to the Law on BHRT to establish a corporation, a change to the criteria for the election of governing bodies, a plan to solve the challenge of broadcasting to Croats in the country and the adoption of a new strategy.

BHRT has warned that “the financing and survival of BHRT as a public service at the state level is seriously threatened, and there is no political will to solve it because the public broadcasters are controlled by the leading political parties and they have no interest in solving the issue of BHRT”.

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