Bosnia-Herzegovina

[BA] Press Code Adopted by Journalists' Associations - No New Independent Press Council

IRIS 1999-7:1/30

Katharina Neuroth Gendreau

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

On 29 April 1999, six journalists' associations in Bosnia-Herzegovina adopted a Press Code to serve as a basis for self-regulation. Under the Code's provisions, journalists are responsible for upholding the principles of freedom of information, the right to unbiased reporting and critical journalism.

Generally speaking, the press agrees to respect the ethnic, cultural and religious diversity of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Journalists, editors and publishers are required to be unbiased. They see their task as being to protect the rights of the individual as well as to promote the public's right to and need for information in order to enable people to develop informed opinions.

The High Representative for Implementation of the Peace Agreement to the UN Secretary General welcomes the adoption of the Code, which represents the values and standards of press self-regulation supported by the international community.

Contrary to the announcement of 7 May 1999, the Press Code does not make provision for the setting up of a Press Council with full independence from the government. Some representatives of journalists' associations disapproved of such a body, claiming it would be a centralist organ with questionable powers.