The President of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Maja Sever, and the non-governmental organisation Gong called on Croatian Radio- Television (HRT) on Wednesday to improve its programme guidelines for reporting on the upcoming presidential election.

The issue will be discussed at a meeting of the HRT Programme Council scheduled for Friday.

Gong called on HRT to cover the election fairly and impartially to fulfil its role as a public media service. Gong pointed out that HRT’s coverage of HDZ presidential candidate Dragan Primorac in the main news programme shows favouritism and gives him an advantage over other candidates.

“Such coverage by HRT violates the principle of equality of political parties and candidates”

Gong pointed out that HRT carried a report on Primorac’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in early September and reported on an underwater clean-up operation in late August that featured Primorac as a member of a diving club.

“These are all promotional activities for this candidate and they were not labelled as such, nor were similar activities of other candidates reported. Such reporting by HRT violates the principle of equal rights of political parties and candidates as well as the principle of impartiality prescribed by law,” Gong said.

The NGO called on HRT to introduce the programme rules for election coverage from the time a political party publicly announces its candidate or an independent candidate announces his candidacy, but no later than six months before the election month, and not to wait for the election date.

Gong argues that this would ensure that the rules apply equally to all candidates. It points out that there is an active unofficial pre-election campaign period before the official campaign begins, which is not subject to the rules and undermines the equality of candidates and the impartial information of the public.

Sever: HRT’s current editorial policy is against the law

Gong also demanded that HRT clearly separate campaign activities from other official duties when reporting on candidates holding public office during the pre-election campaign period.

EFJ president and HRT journalist Maja Sever emphasised the public broadcaster’s obligation to report on election candidates in an even-handed and professional manner.

She pointed out that HRT has also reported on Primorac outside of his pre-election activities, such as his meeting with the Indian Prime Minister, adding that the editorial decision to present him as a guest on a talk show during the pre-election campaign was “unclear” She asked whether all presidential candidates will be guests on the same programme.

Sever expressed concern that “the current editorial policy is against the law”. She was referring to the HRT Act, which prohibits HRT from promoting the views or interests of a particular political party and mandates equal representation of different perspectives.