The High Representative and the European Union’s Special Representative in
“Responding to what it sees as unfair coverage by BHT1, the government of Republika Srpska threatened to freeze the broadcaster out of the information loop,” Mr Schwarz-Schilling wrote in Euroblic. “It may or may not have a point, but other mechanisms exist to provide redress.”
In the old regime in former
In an effort to promote fair an objective reporting, the international community has sought to assist the authorities of
As a result of these efforts, mechanisms now exist to provide redress in the case of unfair reporting. The Communications Regulatory Agency, for instance, regulates the development of professional and viable commercial and public broadcasters, protects freedom of expression and reviews complaints about irresponsible or malicious reporting.
The High Representative and the European Union’s Special Representative expressed his satisfaction that the government of Republika Srpska now appears to have stepped back from its original confrontational approach.
“No one wants a return to the old system, where the authorities punished media that displeased them,” Mr Schwarz-Schilling concluded. “That is not the democratic way.”
The text of the High Representative/EU Special Representative’s article can be accessed at www.ohr.int and www.eusrbih.org.