New Media Self-Regulatory Body in Croatia

21 August 2006

�Glas Slavonije� reports that the Croatian Journalist Association and the Media Council of the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO) have started the initiative to establish a Media Council as new media ethics self-regulatory body.

The new body, in addition to representatives of the journalists, should also include representatives of publishers and media owners. The initiators believe that participation of owners and publishers would create a position for their higher responsibility in situations of violation of professional ethics.

HHO Media Council representatives discussed this initiative with all leading publishers who, in principle, supported the establishment of a working group that will be charged with negotiations and preparation of proposal of a Croatian model of media self-regulation.

Therefore, at the start of the coming Autumn, HND, the International Centre for Education of Journalists and the Conrad Adenauer Stiftung should agree on the composition and the scope of activities of the Media Council.

At this moment, the HND Council of Honour remains the single self-regulation body in Croatia, which receives complaints against journalists and media accused of violations of professional ethics. The Council decides on the complaints and declares disciplinary measures, but its influence is relatively weak and limited.