HRT COUNCIL TO PROPOSE AMENDMENTS TO LAW ON COVERAGE OF PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGNS

PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGNS ( Vidi vijest: 6160 ) ZAGREB, Oct 27 (Hina) - The Croatian Radio and Television council will launch an initiative for amendments to the law on Croatian television (HTV) coverage of pre-elections campaigns. The HRT director, Ivica Mudrinic, proposed this move on Monday's session of the council during a discussion on a report on the coverage in HTV local broadcasts of pre-election activities of presidential candidates this year. According to the report, submitted by the HTV information programme, Obrad Kosovac, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Zdravko Tomac, was presented more than the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)ruling party's candidate, Franjo Tudjman, or the candidate of the Croatian social Liberals (HSLS) and a group of other opposition parties, Vlado Gotovac, who was at the third place. While HDZ members of the HRT council were pleased with the report, opposition members, led by Bozo Kovacevic of HSLS, said that the report showed distorted picture concerning the television coverage, as it did not contain data how the central daily news broadcasts "Dnevnik" and "Motrista" during prime time had covered that those campaigns. According to Kovacevic's data, the HDZ candidate, Franjo Tudjman, was predominantly present on TV screens at the period, but HDZ members replied that Kovacevic distorted data as he did sum of minutes dedicated to the (HDZ) party's activities and minutes of Tudjman's activities as the President of Croatia. A member of the council, Janko Bobetko, warned the council that the HTV treatment of celebrations of victories from the Homeland War and of Croatian soldiers was "worsening dangerously". A writer, Hrvoje Hitrec, warned that the HTV "is giving in to American cultural imperialism". The council supported Hitrec's proposal that the production of Croatian programmes, films and broadcasts should be enlarged and that the central European and Mediterranean civilisation should be promoted to a larger extent. (hina) jn mš 272133 MET oct 97