ZAGREB, Sept 15 (Hina) - Croatian Radio-Television (HRT) will change its programme in line with the accepted international criticism regarding the treatment of the ruling and opposition parties, HRT spokesman Kresimir Macan told Hina
on Wednesday. HRT representatives today in Zagreb held talks with representatives of the international community with regard to their objections to the coverage of election campaigning on Croatian Television (HTV). Peter Palmer, spokesman for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Croatia, said that according to the findings of the European Institute for the Media (EIM), Croatian Television was treating unequally the ruling and opposition parties, to the Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ) favour. Citing the results of the EIM, which monitors the election programme on the HTV on OSCE's behalf, Palmer said members of the HDZ w
ZAGREB, Sept 15 (Hina) - Croatian Radio-Television (HRT) will
change its programme in line with the accepted international
criticism regarding the treatment of the ruling and opposition
parties, HRT spokesman Kresimir Macan told Hina on Wednesday.
HRT representatives today in Zagreb held talks with
representatives of the international community with regard to
their objections to the coverage of election campaigning on
Croatian Television (HTV).
Peter Palmer, spokesman for the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Croatia, said that
according to the findings of the European Institute for the Media
(EIM), Croatian Television was treating unequally the ruling and
opposition parties, to the Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ)
favour.
Citing the results of the EIM, which monitors the election
programme on the HTV on OSCE's behalf, Palmer said members of the
HDZ were more often appearing in a positive context and their
statements were more often being broadcast, whereas the statements
of opposition politicians were frequently retold and reports from
news conferences held by opposition parties were often left out
from HTV's central news broadcast.
In a phone conversation with Hina, the HRT spokesman said HRT's
representatives accepted the criticism and agreed that the HTV
should treat in the same way both the conferences of the HDZ and
those of opposition parties, as well as that undue attention had
been paid to radical parties, especially the Croatian Party of
Rights (HSP).
HSP president Anto Djapic attracts the attention of the media and
the public with his statements, which are often bordering with
scandal, and is therefore interesting to the HTV, Macan explained.
Responding to the objection that the media coverage of HDZ
representatives was disproportionately more frequent than the
coverage of other parties, Macan said the majority of officials
whose activities were covered by the HTV were HDZ members.
"The HRT has welcomed this report as constructive help in
transition", Macan said.
Asked whether the HTV would change its programme in accordance with
the criticism by the international community, Macan said, "Yes,
according to the statements of the most responsible officials and
on the basis of the accepted criticism".
International representatives at today's talks included US
Ambassador William Montgomery, a representative of Finland, the
country chairing the European Union, Finnish Ambassador Osmo
Lipponen, and the deputy head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia,
Michael Wygant.
The HRT was represented by HRT director Ivica Vrkic and editor-in-
chief Obrad Kosovac.
"Although difficult, the talks were extremely constructive", said
Macan.
According to him, the HTV is conducting its own internal monitoring
the results of which it intends to publish soon.
(hina) jn rml