On World Press Freedom Day, Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) head Hrvoje Zovko called on the authorities to provide help for journalists and media, adding that this corona crisis "will be over one day, and we must not allow ourselves to be in a scorched earth situation."

This crisis has emphasised the extreme importance of journalism, said Zovko, putting journalists, photo-journalists and technical support specialists in media on par with healthcare workers, the police, and firefighters.

Accurate and timely information is what we always need, and particularly in the situations such as the COVID-19 epidemic, Zovko said praising journalists and other professionals in the media sector for having done an excellent job.

Zovko criticised owners of a few media houses, including the Hanza media, Novi List and Glas Istre for having slashing reporters’ wages although some of those employers have received government aid to save jobs.

The HND leader said that the association and the Croatian Journalists’ Trade Union (SNH) had prepared a set of measures to help journalists.

One of the proposed measures are the monthly allowance of HRK 4,000 for freelancers in the media sector in the next three months.

The two associations also propose the establishment of a crisis fund for projects of non-profit-making and local projects in the media sector.

Zovko went on to say that President Zoran Milanovic offered his support and that they had discussed the plans for assistance to the media sector with Clture Minister Nina Obuljen Korzinek.

“I want to believe that we will manage to implement some of these measures,” he added.