ZAGREB, April 6 (Hina) - A branch of the Croatian Journalists' Society (HND) in the news agency HINA on Thursday called on the Croatian National Parliament and Government, who are founders of HINA, to take urgent measures to help
normalise the work in the national news agency, which is faced with financial difficulties and conflicts in its leadership. Conditions for work and operations of HINA have been aggravating for some time so that with the reduction of this year's budgetary means for HINA and problems in the collection of debit claims they "have acquired almost paralysing characteristics" and given reason for media quarrels among resigned management members, read a letter the HND branch forwarded to Sabor President Zlatko Tomcic and Premier Ivica Racan. Thursday's session was forwarded following conclusions made at yesterday's session of this HND branch when it
ZAGREB, April 6 (Hina) - A branch of the Croatian Journalists'
Society (HND) in the news agency HINA on Thursday called on the
Croatian National Parliament and Government, who are founders of
HINA, to take urgent measures to help normalise the work in the
national news agency, which is faced with financial difficulties
and conflicts in its leadership.
Conditions for work and operations of HINA have been aggravating
for some time so that with the reduction of this year's budgetary
means for HINA and problems in the collection of debit claims they
"have acquired almost paralysing characteristics" and given reason
for media quarrels among resigned management members, read a letter
the HND branch forwarded to Sabor President Zlatko Tomcic and
Premier Ivica Racan.
Thursday's session was forwarded following conclusions made at
yesterday's session of this HND branch when it again rejected a
proposal of the management that, within necessary austerity
measures, the first step should be the breach of contracts with
part-time workers and annulment of the net of HINA correspondents
abroad.
Regarding that the agency's head handed his resignation four months
ago and that the editor-in-chief placed his office at the disposal
two months ago, and regarding problems in the communication between
the management and the editorial staff for longer time, the
incumbent leadership cannot find solutions to problems, owing to
the lessened inflow of budgetary and its own means, the HND branch
assessed.
HINA reporters and editors, HND members, appealed on the Sabor and
Government to have in mind long-term interests of the agency's
market, professional and technological development when they
decide on appointment of HINA leaders, so that the Government and
parliament do not repeat bad experience with staff solutions
according to the principle of "sinecure".
The journalists urge the immediate drafting of a new law on HINA, as
the law which is still in effect was adopted in July 1990 and has
been for long time inadequate for circumstances under which the
agency is operating.
The new law should stipulate that HINA be arranged legally as a
public institution and professionally as public media, while its
officials be selected on the grounds of announced vacancies, the
HND branch added.
The branch also notified the Croatian President's Office of its
demands.
(hina) ms