BH Journalists Respond to the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of BiH: You Cannot Censor and Choose Which Media Will Ask Questions

(Patria) - The Management Board of the BH Journalists Association has again spoken out regarding the case of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which concerns a “discriminatory procedure against journalists” during media addresses, primarily by Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, and then by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, who recently paid official visits to BiH.

The association recognized discrimination against journalists when, in both cases of these high-ranking officials addressing the media, only RTV Herceg Bosne and BHRT had the exclusive right to ask questions. The BH Journalists Association sent a letter to the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of BiH, but, as the association added, the response was not specific, i.e., complete.

The BH Journalists specifically asked the Council of Ministers of BiH why journalists and media were not informed in advance that they would not be able to ask questions to the high-ranking European officials, and what were the criteria for selecting only two media outlets – BHRT and RTV Herceg Bosne – whose journalists could directly ask questions to the two high-ranking guests?

However, as explained by the BH Journalists, they received a response from the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of BiH in which they detailed the procedures and protocol, justifying themselves, as they say, by stating that the event at the Council of Ministers was not a press conference but an address to the media, and that, due to time constraints, it was not possible to ask more than two questions.

In the response from the Council of Ministers of BiH, it was also stated that at the beginning of the media statements, journalists were informed that, due to time constraints, only two questions would be allowed.

They then called the information that “without any explanation, the services of the Council of Ministers of BiH allowed journalists from only two media outlets to ask questions to the high-ranking European officials” inaccurate.

After this response from the Council of Ministers of BiH, the BH Journalists sent another letter to the Secretariat of this executive authority, stating the following:

“With this response, you confirm what was written in the BH Journalists' statement, namely that: you did not explain to the media and journalists or inform them before the event itself – via an invitation letter or other means – that only two questions would be allowed and that you would ad hoc give that opportunity only to BHRT and RTV Herceg Bosne. In your lengthy explanation, you did not once explain or draw attention to the criteria by which you selected only two media outlets and gave them the exclusive right to ask questions,” stated the BH Journalists.

The association reminded that the BH Journalists and the Journalists' Help Line (FMHL) stated the following in their statement:

“The public in BiH must know what the criteria were for selecting only the media whose journalists asked questions, and the other media and journalists must receive guarantees from the Council of Ministers that they will never again be treated in a humiliating or less important manner compared to the selected BHRT and RTV Herceg Bosne, for which reason we once again demand that you answer to the public, the media in BiH, the BH Journalists, and the FMHL what the criteria were for selecting the said two media outlets. Likewise, as an executive authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina, due to the public accountability of the Council of Ministers, you must provide written guarantees to the media and journalists that at future events organized by the Council of Ministers of BiH, there will be no repetition of institutional censorship of any journalist, violation of the right to freedom of information, and unequal treatment of any media outlet,” they urged.

Finally, they stated that they would not comment on the other claims in the response from the Council of Ministers of BiH.

“Given that, by invoking the protocol and all pre-arranged details of the visit, including the public address to the media, you have confirmed the responsibility of the Council of Ministers and the indirect responsibility of the services of the Delegation of the European Union to BiH for the inappropriate treatment of journalists and the media during the recent visits to BiH by Mrs. Marta Kos and Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen,” concluded the BH Journalists.