The
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today called the authorities in
Croatia to reconsider their plan to close down the daily newspaper Vjesnik.
"Closing
down Vjesnik would send a very negative signal for journalism in
Croatia", said EFJ President Arne König. "It would mean the end of a cultural
institution but it would also mean that a hundred journalists would lose their
jobs despite their commitment ".
Vjesnik is a daily newspaper in Croatia,
working with 80 employed journalist and editors and 30 freelance journalists.
The state-owned paper was founded in 1940 by
the anti-fascist movement and it survived through Second World War and the
Yugoslav War in the 1990´s. Declining
circulation means that it is now on the verge of bankruptcy and the government
has proposed its closure.
"Considering its record of
journalism in Croatia, Vjesnik should be given another chance for its
transition into a private media" said the EFJ affiliate the Croatian
Journalists' Association (CJA).
The EFJ
suggests that the Croatian Government could establish a crisis management board,
which would allow the editorial staff to develop the paper while giving more time
to attract private investors.
The EFJ is the European group of the International
Federation of Journalists
The EFJ represents over 260,000 journalists in 30
countries
For more
information contact the EFJ at +32 2 235.2200