media hype

9. Deplores the impediments to Tatar leaders returning to Crimea and their prosecution, as well as the mounting and unacceptable pressure on other members of the Mejlis; deplores also the wrongful closure of the ATR media outlet which has a significant outreach within the Crimean Tatar community; calls on the European Commission to extend the necessary financial assistance required to secure the functioning of this and other media in exile in Ukraine; considers the closing down of Crimean Tatar schools and classes and the restrictions on the use of the language as a seri ...[+++]ous limitation of the basic rights of the members of the community, as is the fact that the Ukrainian language has been removed from the public sphere;

31. Recalls that a vigorous, professional and independent media constitute an essential element of a democratic system; calls on the authorities to speed up the implementation of the Media Strategy adopted in October 2011 and its accompanying action plans; is deeply concerned about the continued violence and threats against journalists, particularly those investigating corruption and organised crime; underlines the utmost importance of solving the cases of murdered journalists from the 1990s and 2000s, as evidence of the new government’s commitment to ensure the rule of law and freedom of the media; is concerned about the attempts to ...[+++] control and interfere in the media sector, and calls on the authorities to ensure its independence from political pressure in order to provide journalists with a safe environment where they can conduct their work effectively and without self-censorship; underlines the need to take steps against concentration of media ownership and lack of media transparency, as well as to ensure equal access to the advertising market - hitherto dominated by a handful of economic and political actors - including the release of public funds for purposes of advertising and promotion; calls on journalists to respect the Code of Ethics; notes that the level of internet access remains low, recognises the importance of the internet for media freedom, and urges the authorities to maximise their efforts in this field; notes that media reporting during the election campaign lacked the necessary analytical element, which points to the need to clarify the issue of media ownership; welcomes the fact that the Strategy respects the constitutional rights regarding minority language media, and stresses that the right to operate regional public radio and television should also apply within Vojvodina;

26. Recalls that strong, professional and independent media and internet provision are an indispensable element of a democratic system; to this end, welcomes the adoption of the Strategy of Public Information System Development and its Action Plan and the planned withdrawal of the state from any media ownership; welcomes the fact that the Strategy respects the constitutional rights regarding minority language media; is concerned, however, about attempts to control and interfere in the media sector and calls on the authorities to en ...[+++]sure its independence from political pressures and other influence; calls upon the Serbian Government to ensure freedom and independence of the media in line with EU standards; is concerned that a criminal law was introduced barring public comment in the media on judicial proceedings and verdicts; is concerned about threats directed against Serbian journalists, and calls for their thorough investigation in order to provide the journalists with a safe environment to conduct their work effectively and without the necessity of self-censorship; underlines the need to take steps against the concentration of media ownership and lack of transparency in the media as well as to ensure equal access to the advertising market, including the disbursement of public funds spent on advertising and promotion; calls on journalists to respect the Code of Ethics; notes that the level of internet access remains low, recognises the importance of the internet in media freedom and urges the authorities to maximise their efforts in this field;

24. Recalls that strong, professional and independent media and internet provision are an indispensable element of a democratic system; to this end, welcomes the adoption of the Strategy of Public Information System Development and its Action Plan and the planned withdrawal of the state from any media ownership; welcomes the fact that the Strategy respects the constitutional rights regarding minority language media; is concerned, however, about attempts to control and interfere in the media sector and calls on the authorities to en ...[+++]sure its independence from political pressures and other influence; calls upon the Serbian Government to ensure freedom and independence of the media in line with EU standards; is concerned that a criminal law was introduced barring public comment in the media on judicial proceedings and verdicts; is concerned about threats directed against Serbian journalists, and calls for their thorough investigation in order to provide the journalists with a safe environment to conduct their work effectively and without the necessity of self-censorship; underlines the need to take steps against the concentration of media ownership and lack of transparency in the media as well as to ensure equal access to the advertising market, including the disbursement of public funds spent on advertising and promotion; calls on journalists to respect the Code of Ethics; notes that the level of internet access remains low, recognises the importance of the internet in media freedom and urges the authorities to maximise their efforts in this field;