08 October 2018 - Prime Minister Duško Marković said that the Montenegrin society lacks the courage of journalists to search for the truth, facts and evidence, as well as the courage of the public to hear and face what the journalists have found out. He added that regardless of all these, it is absolutely unacceptable to endanger the personal safety of journalists as a method of resolving any misunderstandings and dissatisfaction.
"I will remind you of a wise statement by Winston Churchill because his message just seems to be very suitable for the topic we are talking about today. He says: 'Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.' If we would consider this thought in the context of the topic of this conference, and even in terms of the overall importance of the media in the modern world, we would conclude that it is precisely the courage that we need most. The courage of journalists to stand up and speak about all the topics important to the society in which they exist. The courage to search for the truth, the facts, the evidence that will be the basis of their work. The willingness of the public to hear those truths. We are witnessing that such courage is lacking on both sides. Therefore, journalists sometimes resort to unsubstantiated condemnation, indulging in individual and group interests, propaganda, while on the other hand, the public has no courage to accept a journalistic research based on arguments challenging the authority of the entire media community. Thus, a circle of lack of courage and mistrust has been created. in my opinion, this is the essence of the problem that burdens us," said the Prime Minister opening the International Conference on Media Sustainability and Successful Media Business Models, sponsored by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.
Prime Minister Marković pointed to the absolute inadmissibility of endangering the personal safety of journalists, as a way of resolving any misunderstandings and dissatisfaction, and said that the Government is firmly committed to providing personal security to journalists in Montenegro.
"The entire security sector has a clear mandate to investigate all the endangerment of the safety of journalists, to search for perpetrators 24 hours a day, and no such case must be archived without concrete police, prosecutorial and judicial dismissal. Whoever the perpetrators are, we will be prosecuting them until the day of judgment!" he underscored.
He added that media freedom and the safety of journalists are not a prerequisite for Montenegro's accession to the European Union, but its moral and democratic obligation.
"I tell our partners in the international community: Media freedom and the safety of journalists are not a condition for the EU accession! No, it is a moral and democratic obligation of Montenegro's authorities, which we will ultimately carry out, even if we never join the EU!" concluded Prime Minister Duško Marković.
