The Croatian Journalists Association (HND) on Thursday strongly condemned the draft of a media bill, saying it represents an unprecedented interfering by the state in journalistic freedoms and self-regulation and that it undermines the separation of publishers, editors, and journalists.

The draft released by the Culture and Media Ministry was not previously agreed by the task force working on it and is practically “under the table,” HND officials said at a press conference.

The bill aims to legalise censorship because it gives a publisher the right not to publish a journalist’s work without explanation, they said.

Also unacceptable, they added, is a provision obligating a journalist to reveal their sources to their editor, although the globally accepted journalistic principle gives them the right not to do so.

The HND is also against forming a Media Council to be elected by the parliamentary majority, saying this model jeopardises the independence of the media regulator and makes it a political body.

The make-up of the Media Experts Council, as proposed, is also unacceptable, as the Council would be dominated by representatives of private profit, while journalistic and media experts would be marginalised, the HND said.

The HND also strongly condemns the establishment of a register of journalists and photojournalists, calling it an attempt to establish state control over professional journalists who, the HND said, should remain independent of centres of power.

The HND is also worried about the state’s attempt to interfere in media self-regulation and is against “the introduction of additional state control over professional associations.”

It is devastating that Croatia does not have a media strategy on which media laws would be based, which is why such totally unacceptable and grotesque bills are being created, HND president Hrvoje Zovko said.

Such a bill can be enacted, but it will have no legitimacy because it will not be supported either by the HND or the Croatian Journalists Trade Union, he added.

The purpose of every law is to protect the activity it concerns, which this bill does not as it restricts press freedoms, said HND vice president Drago Hedl.

The HND has sent its remarks to the Culture and Media Ministry and will also send them to the Council of Europe due to attempts to reduce media freedoms, said HND secretary general Melisa Skender.

The ministry said today the government did not put the bill to public consultation, noting that the task force working on the media bill was only presented a draft text on 5 July.