The HHO said in Wednesday's statement the parliamentary debate represented the ruling bloc's obvious aspiration to finally establish programme control and appoint a trusted leadership on the HRT.
The statement said the ruling bloc this year fiercely criticised some shows, including the "Latinica" talk show on late President Franjo Tudjman's political legacy, a talk show on deputies' privileges, and one that failed to cover an activity of the parliament speaker.
The Media Council said it was appalling how deputies used the tragic fate of a war veteran for political arguments and to ascribe anti-Croat sentiment or leftist exclusiveness to the programme.
It went on to say that there existed few empirical researches in Croatia on the public broadcaster's programmes and that available findings in no way backed the assessments that were made in parliament.
The HHO Media Council said Croatian Television stopped being a pure propaganda machine of the authorities in 2000, but that its programmes were still far from serving public interests well.
The Council reminded the parliament Presidency of the 21 obligations Croatia signed upon joining the Council of Europe, notably with regard to respect of documents on freedom of the media.
In a statement signed by president Dragutin Lucic, the HND said it did not doubt the good intentions of some deputies who said they were dissatisfied with the HRT, notably the news programme, but recalled that programme editing was not in parliament's jurisdiction at all.
The statement said the interfering of politicians, both ruling and in the opposition, in the editing of news and other shows constituted a threat to freedom of the media and public speech, and that it also made journalists insecure and censor themselves, whereas their job is to protect the public's right to know everything of public interest.
The HND underlined that neither the HRT manager, and certainly not members of parliament, should have the right to edit programmes.
The association called on all speaking in public to refrain, out of compassion, from using a family tragedy for political manipulation and pressure on freedom of the media.
The "Latinica" talk show about Tudjman's legacy was today also criticised by veterans' associations from Split-Dalmatia County and the Podravka food manufacturer, as well as by the Croatian Catholic Society of Education Workers. They said they were insulted and shocked by the show.