ZAGREB, March 3 (Hina) – Platform 112, an association of 60 civil society organisations, on Thursday described as a “Blitzkrieg against media pluralism” the proposal by the parliamentary committee on information, computerisation and the media that the parliament replace Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) director-general Goran Radman and appoint HRT editor Sinisa Kovacic as acting HRT director-general.
“The public broadcaster must not be a toy in the hands of the political majority, and that is where the continuation of the incumbent government’s anti-media offensive is headed. With its Blitzkrieg against HRT, the parliamentary majority is actually showing that it does not understand and does not support HRT’s mission, which is, let us recall, to promote the foundations of democracy and civil society, tolerance, knowledge and education,” Platform 112 says in a statement.
“The purpose of Radman’s urgent replacement is not to punish him for his failures but to politically punish the professional work of HRT journalists who, in spite of an unfavourable management climate at HRT, have striven and managed to produce – over the past years and not only over the past month since the HDZ has been in power – socially relevant, good and politically independent programmes,” says the association.
“In the first week in office, the HDZ-nominated minister of culture abruptly cancelled the mechanism for the financing of non-profit media, the government never condemned the hate campaign against the Electronic Media Council and its director Mirjana Rakic, and preparations have been underway for some time for the next target – Hina,” says Platform 112.
“As much as HDZ leader and Deputy Prime Minister (Tomislav) Karamarko plays a shameful role in this, the same amount of responsibility lies with all the other representatives of the ruling majority and government members, from all political parties, notably Bridge and the HSLS, whose votes secure the majority for the HDZ,” Platform 112 warns.