ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament adopted a Media Act with a majority vote on Wednesday. The new law aims to ensure the external and internal independence of the media, protect the source of information and copyrights,
and limit the concentration of ownership on the print media market.
ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - The Croatian parliament adopted a Media Act
with a majority vote on Wednesday. The new law aims to ensure the
external and internal independence of the media, protect the source
of information and copyrights, and limit the concentration of
ownership on the print media market. #L#
Besides ensuring the external independence of the media, the law
should also ensure that journalists are protected from interests
within media companies via statutes which all media would be
obliged to pass.
The Act stipulates that the media are obliged to make their
ownership structure public. All part-owners in a medium have to be
identified by their full names.
Under the new law, journalists and editors are entitled to tender a
resignation or notice and receive fair compensation if a change in
the ownership structure should significantly change the medium's
orientation.
Concentration of ownership on the press market is restricted. A
publisher whose news dailies or weeklies make up more than 40
percent of all newspapers or news weeklies published in the country
is barred from acquiring part-ownership in other media.
The majority of MPs adopted a conclusion by the parliamentary
Information Committee which turned down a media bill put forward by
Democratic Centre's Vesna Skare-Ozbolt.
Parliament adopted an amendment by the same committee under which
an advertisement placed in the media for pecuniary or other
compensation or for promotional purposes must be highlighted and
visibly separated from other segments of the medium. Free
advertising must also be highlighted.
Disguised or fraudulent advertising is not allowed, nor is the
advertising of weaponry and ammunition, tobacco and its products,
medicines and medical procedure, alcohol and alcoholic beverages.
Another Information Committee amendment was adopted under which
the media are obliged to respect the right to identity protection of
witnesses and injured parties. Identity may be revealed only with
their knowledge and permission. The editor who allows the
publication of data which might reveal the identity of a witness or
injured party will be fined with 50,000 kuna (approx. EUR6,700).
The new Media Act bans the publication of information revealing a
child's identity if that might endanger the child's welfare. The
publisher who reveals such information will be fined with up to one
million kuna (approx. EUR133,000).
(EUR1 = 7.5 kuna)
(hina) ha sb