Press Release: HRT Biased on “Bljesak”

3. 5. 2010. May 3, 2010.

Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) today issued a press release warning of Croatian Radio-Television’s (HRT) biased reporting on commemoration of the operation “Bljesak” (Flash) and violation of the Croatian Radio-Television Act.

PRESS RELEASE

On May 1, 2010, the 15th anniversary of the operation “Bljesak” (Flash) was marked. Being a public media outlet, HRT is legally obliged to objectively report on events. However, apropos marking the operation “Bljesak” (Flash), HRT was more than biased.

Almost all media outlets in Croatia failed to mention civilian victims of the operation “Bljesak” (Flash), but it is particularly problematic when a public media outlet does so. By neglecting civilian victims’ suffering, HRT was disseminating propaganda rather than reporting. This is directly in contravention of the program principles and responsibilities stipulated in Article 5. of the Croatian Radio-Television Act.

By reporting in this manner HRT promotes unilateral interpretations of events from the recent past, thus justifying hatred toward a certain segment of citizens of the Republic of Croatia. Furthermore, such reporting has a view to directly protecting perpetrators of war crimes, since the pressure to prosecute them is thus being reduced.

From the perspective of a human rights organization we deem it inadmissible to value victims based on their national or religious identity. By reporting in this manner, this is exactly what HRT has done.

We hereby call on HRT Program Council and other authorized bodies and institutions to strongly condemn such one-sided, biased and unobjective reporting which is in contravention of the provisions of the Croatian Radio-Television Act.