FORUM 21 DRAWS CRO TV LEADERS' ATTENTION TO OBLIGATIONS OF HDZ

( Editorial: --> 4278 ) ZAGREB, Feb 24 (Hina) - Representatives of the Forum 21 (a group of broadcast journalists) announced on Tuesday that Tomislav Spoljar, editor of the midday news programme at the Croatian TV, resigned on Friday 20 February on moral and professional grounds, after Obrad Kosovac, editor-in-chief of the current affairs department "embargoed the news about the trade union protest rally on Friday, 20 February". The statement describes the rally as the most important event of the day, stressing that embargo severely violated the citizens' right to accurate information. Forum 21 says high party officials should not be allowed to double as professional journalists. Hence, the election of members of the Croatian Radio Television (HRT) management to senior positions at the recent HDZ convention proved once again that the ruling party still considered HRT as a party organ and not a public television serving all Croatian citizens alike. "In spite of announcements by HRT management that the HRT would be gradually transformed from a state TV to a public one, in accordance with the standards of the free world, the HRT de facto still functions as a state TV in the service of the ruling party," reads the statement by Forum 21. Obrad Kosovac, editor-in-chief of the HRT current affairs department, stated today that on 20 February he did not order Tomislav Spoljar, editor of the midday news, not to release the news about the demonstration, as such news had not been reported to the HRT by 12 hrs on that day. Kosovac stresses that HRT covered the demonstrations very aptly and impartially and has not provoked any objections, not even by the unions that organised the rally. (Hina) mm mrbĐmr 241940 MET feb 98