Mesic said that media freedom was one of the foundations on which democracy was based, warning that some media were ignoring their professional standards and ethic and resorting to sensationalism to ensure higher ratings and sales.
He called on journalists to preserve the dignity of their profession.
The head of the Croatian Journalists' Association, Dragutin Lucic, recalled that last year saw attempts by political structures to put some media under their control, citing the cases of the national broadcasting corporation HRT and Hina, and failed attempts to push through a bill on the electronic media. He warned that such attempts might be made again this year.