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Pro-government media launch new wave of attacks against BIRN
A new smear campaign against BIRN has been launched by Serbian pro-government tabloid Informer that characterises the threat press freedom faces in Serbia.
Two other independent media organisations – the Network for Investigating Crime and Corruption, KRIK, and Serbia's Centre for Investigative Journalism, CINS - have also been included in the new wave of accusations, which resurrect unfounded claims that BIRN is a "spy" organisation and its journalists foreign mercenaries.
On November 8, Informer owner and editor-in-chief said to TV Pink that BIRN is "financed to overthrow Vucic's government, in order to fulfill their campaign to have a Serbia without a PM." He added that "they (BIRN, CINS and KRIK) use lies to destabilise the country."
This attack is the latest in an ongoing campaign by Serbian politicians and affiliated publications to defame and muzzle those who investigate the actions of the country's leadership.
KRIK believes the latest campaign is directly linked to its recent investigation into property allegedly owned by Belgrade mayor Sinisa Mali.
"When the government is feeling threatened they always create this type of 'arrest warrant' to discredit our investigative findings," BIRN journalist Slobodan Georgiev said in response to Informer's announcement that it had proof that three media organisations are working as foreign mercenaries.
In August, Informer circulated a series of allegations, including that BIRN and CINS are secretly funded by the EU, after an investigation by BIRN into whether Serbia overpaid for an airline contract with Etihad, a carrier of the United Arab Emirates.
On January 8, BIRN published an investigation into Serbia's state-owned power company, EPS, and how it awarded a syndicate of two companies, with no applicable experience, a contract to de-water the Tamnava mine.
The next day the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic called BIRN "liars."
Repeated attacks against BIRN and other independent media organisations in Serbia reiterate the lack of legal protection given to the press. This is a problem many countries in the Western Balkans still face, as head of BIRN Kosovo Jeta Xharra addressed in a speechat the recent Speak Up 3 conference in Brussels.
In line with EU standards, three new laws were added to the legal framework for media freedom in Serbia in August 2014. None of these laws have been enacted. Existing freedom of speech and media decrees are often not upheld in practice. As a result, independent media groups continue to have pressure applied by the government.
International bodies, including Freedom House and Amnesty International, have reported on the continued lack of media freedom in Serbia and the need for serious reforms.
Despite Prime Minister Vucic's aim to gain EU membership, freedom of the media – one of the EU's criteria for admission – remains highly deficient in the current climate.
Stay up to date with the latest developments regarding the attacks on BIRN
January 15 - Serbian tabloid Informer has accused BIRN journalist Sasa Dragojlo of "spying on paintings" at the official residence of Serbia's Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, where he held a press conference on Thursday.
In a front-page story titled 'This is how scandals are made', Informer reports that Dragojlo "separated himself from the rest of the journalists and started making a list of paintings in the residence."
This story is the latest smear in an ongoing campaign led by this pro-government tabloid against BIRN.
November 13 - CINS and KRIK have been likened to the "fifth column" in an Informer article published today claiming both NGOs have received foreign funding by western embassies, the Rockefellers Brothers Fund, and businessman George Soros, who are all motivated by politics.
"The interest to finance anti-government media is political. Those who received the money are the fifth column in this state. Full stop," said Zeljko Cvijanovic.
It is reported that KRIK received funding from the Journalism Development Network and CINS from the National Endowment for Democracy, NED. Earlier in the week, foreign donations to BIRN were also highlighted because of alleged political motives.
On the same day, the European Federation of Journalists, EFJ, posted a blog in support of Serbia's independent media - including BIRN, CINS and KIRK - calling for the authorities "to avoid creating a hostile environment for journalists and media workers."
Serbia must avoid creating hostile environment for investigative journalists #BIRNunderFire https://t.co/2so4FId3K0 via @EFJEUROPE
— EFJ (@EFJEUROPE) November 13, 2015
Difficult not to worry about #Serbia #media direction. Reminders of Milosevic era https://t.co/U3AudAUfGa #BIRNunderFire
— Steve Crawshaw (@stevecrawshaw) November 13, 2015
November 12 - Informer writes that BIRN received 25,000 euros from the Holland embassy in 2013, to "control the media" in Serbia.
BIRN coordinator and journalist, Slobodan Georgiev said that "all of our projects, lists of donors and donations can be found on our website. We aren't hiding anything, everything is public. You can find all of the information from every project there".
Funding is not controlling or even influencing media - if freedom of media is respected. @Dunja_Mijatovic https://t.co/tpkWXunQEP
— Liselott M Agerlid (@Agerlid) November 11, 2015
November 11 -In today's issue, the tabloid Informer writes about finances of CINS and BIRN that originate from the US and the UK, continuing the attack on critical thinking and free media in Serbia.
"The state is withdrawing from the media while foreign agents and diplomats go in the news organizations," Milorad Vucelic said for Pecat.
"Postmodern occupation is ongoing," Vucelic added.
Informer writes that BIRN has received around 107,000 euros for "financing false affairs and instigating unrest".
BIRN Serbia editor, Slobodan Georgiev said that "all funding received were given to us for projects, nothing else".
"For the rest of the details, you can ask those who approved the funds," Georgiev added.
The @EFJEUROPE is very concerned by attacks on BIRN & @BalkanInsight in #Serbia #BIRNunderFire
— EFJ (@EFJEUROPE) November 11, 2015
#Vucic: independent journalists investigating corruption are aiming to destabilize Serbia government #BIRNunderFire https://t.co/fnpFLLtBK3
— Deepa (@_humanrights) November 11, 2015
November 10 - The campaign against government watchdogs BIRN, CINS and KRIK continues with Serbian tabloid Informer publishing an article today claiming these organisations are financed by foreign governments so they can keep Serbia "in the state of perpetual chaos."
Informer published financial documentation, not legally obtainable, claiming that as soon as CINS received money from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, it "launched the campaign accusing minister of defence Bratislav Gasic of conflict of interest".
Download the translated version of Informer for November 9 here.
Download the translated version of Informer for November 10 here.
November 9 - Serbian tabloid Informer published on Monday BIRN's financial documentation, which is not legally obtainable, claiming that the European commission is "directly funding attempts to bring Vucic down and instigate chaos in Serbia", continuing this newspapers attack on the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.
"Donation from the EU commission is just one of the payments made from abroad to news networks, who's only purpose is launching false affairs and instigating chaos," it was said in Informer.
#Informer launches new attack on #BIRN, claiming "financed to overthrow Vucic's Government". Updates on #LiveBlog https://t.co/ZTBRVa3zbJ
— Balkan Insight (@BalkanInsight) November 8, 2015
November 8 - Owner and editor of Informer, Dragan Vucicevic said on television Pink that BIRN is "financed to overthrow Vucic's Government, in order to fulfill their campaign to have a Serbia without a PM", continuing attacks on BIRN.
"They (BIRN, CINS and Krik) use lies to destabilize the country, I have proof of everything," Vucicevic said on Sunday.
March 27 - A new report on media freedoms in the Western Balkans notes the Serbian government's attack on BIRN in January, which came in response to BIRN's publication of an investigation into the tender awarded for the repair of the state-owned Tamnava mine.
The report called this an example of Vucic's "combative attitude toward the media".
It went on to say that no one would compare Serbia today with the situation under the late strongman Slobodan Milosevic, when journalists were assassinated and there was outright censorship.
"However, there are clear authoritarian tendencies in the current government that find their most tangible expression in the instrumentalisation of the media and in relentless attacks on those who persist in reporting things as they are," the report added.
The report entitled "Media freedom and integrity in the Western Balkans: Recent developments" was published by the European Fund for the Balkans. Read more on it on Balkan Insight.
March 22 - In an interview with the Radio Free Europe, Sasa Radulovic, former Serbian economy minister, said that he was still waiting for the court's epilogue in the case against PM Aleksandar Vucic.
The premier accused him in August of providing BIRN with draft contract between state-owned JAT and Etihad in order to destabilise the government. Radulovic rejected these accusations and took the case to court.
March 17 - Aleksandar Vulin, Serbian Labour Minister, has asked a rhetoric question on why media, and BIRN especially, were silent on verbal harassment of the family of the PM Aleksandar Vucic in the past few months. Read the full article on Blic.
March 14 - E-novine is tirelessly investigating into the BIRN network in order to find some irregularities. E-novine's ugly campaign against BIRN is again accompanied by inappropriate photo captions.
You may find the full article here.
March 12 - A content analysis covering two weeks in January (8th to 21st), at the time of an intense public debate on BIRN and on reactions to its investigative report, shows that BIRN was mentioned either directly or indirectly, through reactions of officials, analysts or the civil sector, in 294 media reports.
Of that number, 131 were released by print and electronic media. The reporting of these media will be the subject of further upcoming analysis. Quantitative data was obtained from Nina Media Agency while the qualitative analysis was conducted by BIRN.
The topics that formed the backbone of the debatemainly involved criticism of BIRN, the relationship between the EU and Prime Minister Vucic, which had come into the spotlight because of BIRN reports, and analysis of the political situation and media freedoms.
Less than ten per cent of the articles referred to the issues raised by BIRN's research, that were essentially issues of public importance, namely, the threat to the power system and possible violations of public procurement procedures for the de-watering of the Tamnava mine. Only 25 of the 294 articles directly addressed the report's findings.
March 10 - E-novine campaign against BIRN has culminated with a so-called investigative story on the BIRN's businesses, operations and people. You may find the full article here.
March 9 - Under the headline "Everything is under the government's control", BIRN regional director Gordana Igric talks about dealing with the pressure in the past couple of months. Read the full interview on the website of the Danas daily newspaper.
March 4 - In a session on February 26, the Complaints Commission of the Serbian Press Council ruled that Informer violated the section of the Code of Journalists of Serbia related to the veracity of reporting in the article entitled "Wanted to get hold of 23.2 million euro, but are still 'reputable journalists' and diplomats," which it published on January 15.
"BIRN editorial is presented 'as being part of a media mob and of racketeering the state on behalf of the EU' and Informer did not even think that it should all be proved," the Commission said.
March 2 -
Recent verbal attacks on BIRN are example of worrying trend towards government control of media in #Serbia: http://t.co/h6A73I8rL2 #Balkans
— Saferworld (@Saferworld) March 4, 2015
February 27 - While the draining of the Tamnava mine is running months late, EPS says the consortium has fulfilled its contract and will not be charged penalties. read the full article on Balkan Insight.
February 25 - Deutsche Welle in Serbian has published an analysis on the media freedoms and censorship in Serbia following the European Commissioner Johannes Hahn's statement. Read the full article here.
February 23 - Distribution of BIRN's English language newspaper, Belgrade Insight, has been stopped at Belgrade airport and at Tourist Organisation of Belgrade centres - in what appears a continuation of the government-led campaign against BIRN.
Miodrag Popovic, the acting director of the Tourist Organisation of Belgrade, TOB, told BIRN that Belgrade Insight's editorial concept was not appropriate for tourist info centres.
Gordana Igric, BIRN regional director, said the latest developments showed that the campaign was ongoing.
"We perceive the fact that Belgrade Insight is being kicked out of venues that have been our partners for years as continuation of the campaign against BIRN in which state institutions and companies - which by the nature of their job have to cooperate with the state - are participating," she said.
Read the full report on Balkan Insight.
February 19 - The European Federation of Journalists, EFJ, told Johannes Hahn, the European Commissioner in charge of European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiation that media censorship is a reality in Serbia following his controversial remark.
February 19 - The executive director of the Reporters Without Borders and one of the authors of the report about media freedom in the world, Christian Mihr, told Cenzolovka that censorship in Serbia is neither direct nor transparent, but that it is easy to prove.
February 19 - Ivan Tasovac, Serbian Minister for Culture and Media, denied media censorship claims.
February 18 - BIRN's response to Johannes Hahn on media freedom: "The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network would like to express its alarm and serious concern over the statement of Johannes Hahn, the EU's Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations who has said that he needs to see evidence of declining media freedom in Serbia." Read the full response here.
February 18 - According to the tabloid Informer, BIRN, OSCE and the Anti-corruption Council in Serbia have united to prove that censorship exists in the Serbian media scene.
February 17 - European Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in Brussels that he was determined to follow every claim that the position and freedom of the media in Serbia had declined to its root, but also made it clear that for this he needed proof and demonstrable findings.
When asked by reporters whether he regarded as proof that the freedom of the media in Serbia was worsening the fact that the international Reporters Without Borders organization had claimed in its latest report that the position and freedom of the media in Serbia had worsened, Hahn replied that "one needs to see on which basis they gave such an evaluation."
February 13 - Freedominfo.org, the global network of freedom of information advocates, is writing that the World Bank, despite being a major supporter of "open contracting," restricted access to its own reports on "post-procurement reviews" in the Tamnava mine case.
"Bank officials confirmed the existence of a report on the procurement process, but told journalists from BIRN that they would not release the report," the website said.
February 13- The media in Serbia are exposed to censorship and self-censorship that is without precedent in the Balkans, but journalists must resist pressure and continue to defy, stated the participants of the panel discussion, titled "Free the Media."
Gordana Igric, BIRN regional director, said that freedom of speech and critical thought in Serbia had been extinguished and that they were unaware of the scope of that fact until they published the article on the pumping out of water from the Tamnava Zapadno Polje strip mine.
She pointed out that very few media had conveyed this report and that a campaign against BIRN was under way for a month after its publishing, which turned into a conflict between Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and the European Union.
February 12 - Those who missed "Free the media" debate today can watch it here.
February 12 -
Danas od 11h u @MedijaCentar i @MediaCentarNis (live stream) javna debata #OslobodiMedije @BIRNSrbija & @HRHBelgrade pic.twitter.com/7UdM7KUdWj
— BIRN (@birnbalkans) February 12, 2015
February 12 - A recent media analysis shows that there were 294 reports on BIRN in the Serbian media from January 8-21. Only 25 out of them were related to the main findings of the Tamnava mine investigation.
Pink TV and Politika daily paper were in the forefront of the attack on BIRN. Read the full analysis in Serbian here.
February 11 - According to E-novine, BIRN is an "unlimited company for mafia money laundering."
February 11 - "We are alarmed and particularly concerned by what appears to be a clearly deteriorating situation of media freedom in Serbia. In democracies, one should expect journalists to act as watchdogs of all public bodies (including the government) enabling the people to make informed decisions on the issues of public interests. The colleagues from BIRN deserve to be supported and protected by the Serbian and the international community for their intensive investigative reporting," said Ricardo Gutierrez, EFJ General Secretary.
Alarming developments in Serbia for investigative journalists http://t.co/mUYTTrMPWS via @EFJEUROPE
— EFJ (@EFJEUROPE) February 11, 2015
February 11 - BIRN Regional Director Gordana Igric has sent a letter on behalf of the network to more than 30 international human rights and media organisations including the Committee to Protect Journalists, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and International Press Institute to highlight the continued pressure on BIRN in Serbia.
"BIRN and its partners are deeply concerned that the situation is likely to deteriorate further and we therefore appeal to you to express concern over these issues," the letter says. Read the letter here.
February 10 - Vreme weekly paper has published Transparency Serbia documents showing that damage with the Tamnava mine is several times higher than the value of public procurement. Read the full article on Vreme.com.
February 10 - Following the attacks, BIRN and Human Rights House in Belgrade are organising a debate on press freedom entitled "Free the media" on February 12. Everyone is invited to come. Follow the link for more information.
February 9 - Borko Stefanovic of the Democratic Party said that his team for Serbia's SYRIZA would include ombudsman Sasa Jankovic, BIRN's Slobodan Georgijev, sociologists Vesna Pesic and Jovo Bakic, as well as renowned professor Srbijanka Turajlic.
February 9 - Transparency Serbia said on Monday that the public tender for de-watering of Tamnava mine was carried out in line with the national legislation, and not by the World Bank rules. Read the full article on B92.net.
February 9 - Not realising that BIRN is quoting everybody as saying something related to the attacks on BIRN, E-novine is now saying: "Greed for EU money is such that even Milovan Brkic [editor in chief of "Tabloid"] is a good friend of Gordana Igric and her BIRN junta."
February 8 - Under the headline "Nostalgia for the Nineties," Ljiljana Smajlovic, editor in chief of the daily paper Politika, is saying that it turns out that BIRN should not be criticised by the government, even when it is responsible for sloppy reporting.
February 6 - Vesna Pesic, Serbian renowned sociologist, is praising the work of the so-called "traitors" like BIRN, ombudsman Sasa Jankovic and Humanitarian Law Center. Read the full article on Pescanik.net.
February 6 - E-novine is now ironically saying how touching it is that the only thing BIRN cares about is the public interest, and not money or grants. There is also an accompanying photo to illustrate the thought. It shows an envelope full of money with description: "Cash as BIRN's favourite public interest."
February 6 - Zoran Panovic, Editor in Chief of the Danas daily paper, said that Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's spin doctor, was paid from EU funds to give a PR lecture to the Serbian government officials.
"How come that the Serbian Government can take money from the EU, and someone else, like BIRN for example, cannot," Panovic asked.
February 5 - "Tabloid" is critising the Politika daily paper for attacking BIRN.
"We are not BIRN, [Politika's editor in chief, Ljiljana] Smajlovic proudly wrote (…) Indeed, Politika is not BIRN. When you say Politika, you think of a trash," Tabloid said.
February 5 - In a special ceremony, BIRN Serbia received Jug Grizelj Award for investigative journalism for 2014 not only for the investigation into Tamnava mine, but also Air Serbia and advertising agencies.
Dragana Zarkovic, director of BIRN Serbia, said that the organisation will continue with critical reporting towards every government.
"We believe that it is our job to ask difficult questions and work in the public interest," Zarkovic said.
February 4 - US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Melia said that Serbia should be happy to have organizations like BIRN and the Humanitarian Law Fund because it is important for every government to listen to organizations publishing important information and to take measures based on that information. Read the interview with Melia in Serbia on N1.
February 4 - The pro-government Informer daily paper said that BIRN won the prestigious Jug Grizelj award for investigative journalism by spreadng lies.
February 4 - E-novine continues with its dirty campaign against BIRN. This time, Gordana Igric, BIRN regional director is "under money" (referring to the "BIRN under fire"), while E-novine is suffering to get grants and thus struggling to survive.
"The only good thing is that Gordana Igric is happy; despite so many "attacks, censorship, campaign, bullying," miss Igric and her BIRN have never been to court (…) and a pair of wagons for the "threatened" is already underway to many countries where BIRN has its labyrinth," the website said.
February 3 - E-novine has yet another article devoted to BIRN, now calling it a monstrous NGO in the form of a giant vacuum cleaner for taking money from EU funds.
February 2 - Hard working has paid off as BIRN Serbia won prestigious award for investigaive journalism "Jug Grizelj."
February 1 - E-novine continues to badmouth BIRN and its regional director, Gordana Igric. According to the website, we have launched this page "BIRN under fire" in order to get more donations.
January 31 - Dragan Dj. Vucicevic, editor in chief of the pro-govt paper Informer, is now saying that the Western powers allied with domestic "traitors" like BIRN are trying to create a chaos in Serbia.
January 30 - In his hard-hitting critique, Branko Cecen of the Centre for Investigative Journalism, CINS, looks at Aleksandar Vucic's attack on BIRN and the sorry state of the nation's media, and asks who's really interested in accountability and real reporting in Serbia today. Read the full article on the Global Investigative Journalism Network.
January 30 - Under the headline "How I became an enemy of the state," BIRN's Slobodan Georgijev wrote a column in the weekly paper Vranjske.
"Imagine that an article on the pumping out the Tamnava mine can overthrow the government! I believe that [Serbia's PM] Vucic does not believe this is possible, and journalists would like to be so strong and powerful that their work can lead to some major changes in society, but it almost never happens," Georgijev said.
January 30 - Cenzolovka made a timeline of the key events regarding the attack on BIRN. Greatly appreciated.
Skromni doprinos Cenzolovke borbi protiv kolektivne amnezije #slučaj #cenzolovka @BIRNSrbija http://t.co/kjXZicLP5f
— Slavko Ćuruvija fond (@scfondacija) January 30, 2015
January 29 - James Ker-Lindsay, senior research fellow on the politics of south east Europe at the London School of Economics, believes that in the light of the latest attack on BIRN, press freedoms in Serbia will be discussed in Brussels and noted in this year's EU progress report. See the full article in Serbian on Danas.rs.
January 29 - "The attack on BIRN has shown what will happen to anyone who asks an unpleasant question - the prime minister will discredit you and denounce you as traitor." So says Gordana Igric in an interview with Frankfurtske Vesti. Read the full interview in Serbian here.
January 28 - In a debate on the American TV series Newsroom held in Belgrade's Parobrod cultural center on Tuesday, BIRN was singled out as the only media outlet doing proper invsetigative reporting in the country.
January 28 - In a column in the daily paper Politika, Vladimir Milutinovic, editor of Filozofija.info, is questioning the level of democracy in the Serbian society when the Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucuc can denounce some journalists as liars and engage himself so much in the control of media.
January 28 -
Story of the week by @BIRNSrbija on Serbia's Open Pit Boondoggle: http://t.co/CBwq666ZTz pic.twitter.com/MzhOjc9gUX
— GIJN (@gijn) January 28, 2015
January 28 - The orchestrated campaign against BIRN in Aleksandar Vucic's Serbia was a prime example of the new authoritarianism sweeping the Balkans, which is the rolling back the democratic gains of the 1990s, Balkan expert Florian Bieber said in London on Tuesday.
Speaking at the London School of Economics on the "Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans", Bieber, a Professor for Southeastern European Studies in Graz, said the case fit "a regional pattern of authoritarian temptation". This has seen the rise of governments with marked authoritarian and anti-democratic traits, which are not to be confused with classic dictatorships, however.
Read the full article on Balkan Insight.
January 28 - In its own style, E-novine continues with nasty campaign against BIRN targeting Gordana Igric, BIRN regional director, under the "witty" headline "The English patient." You may find the full article here.
January 28 -
Great talk by @fbieber on the authoritarian temptation in the Balkans tonight @LSEE_LSE He singles out the BIRN case http://t.co/FoDuLIkRd9
— Tim Judah (@timjudah1) January 27, 2015
January 27 - Analyst Jovo Bakic said that the Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic had re-introduced dirty rhetoric in the political scene with the BIRN case encouraging thus other members of the ruling coalition to follow in his footsteps. Read the full article on Blic.rs.
January 27 - Dragan Dj. Vucicevic, editor in chief of the pro-government paper Informer, has dubbed BIRN "phantom parajournalistic organisaiton"
January 27 - In her new article on Pescanik.net, Nadezda Milenkovic is saying that according to the Serbian government, the cabinet is criticised for money and praised free of charge.
BIRN journalists are obviously one of those paid by the EU to write against the government, just like the country's lawyers were paid by controversial businessman Miroslav Miskovic to protest for months, Milenkovic cynically concluded.
January 27 -
Investigative journalism under fire in #Serbia http://t.co/ySUg7UT701 #BIRN
— Kenneth Andresen (@kennethandresen) January 27, 2015
January 26 - We (BIRN) have called on the Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to put an end to the "labelling" of journalists, as well as to confusing and misinforming the public, and instead urge his close associates, energy minister and director of the power company, EPS, to answer the questions BIRN asked before. Read the full BIRN's response to the latest Serbian PM's accusations here.
January 26 - Marinko M. Vucinic of the New Serbian Political Thought (NSPM) magazine has empathised with BIRN journalists following their mine tender investigation.
"After the Prime Minister Vucic's attack on BIRN journalists, they did not get a chance to present their version of the story, except on the N1 TV (…) for them, all the media were closed, and investigative journalism has received a clear message, that their voice will not be heard far away, neither will have an important impact on the formation of attitudes in our public, thanks to the Progessives' official media," Vucinic wrote on the NSPM website.
January 26 - Frankfurtske Vesti, Serbian newspaper in diaspora, has joined the attack on BIRN by singling out a quote of Gordana Igric, BIRN regional director, in a box out of any context, adding three big question marks.
The quote says: "I always thought that the Belgrade taxi drivers are more precise in measuring public opinion than many well-paid agencies."
January 26 - PM Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday repeated his allegation that BIRN was "telling lies" in its mine tender investigation and said that he had managed to defend his country by speaking out against misinformation spread by EU-funded journalists. Follow the link below to read the full article:
Serbian PM Slams BIRN Again http://t.co/diUHESNPCK" #Serbia #BIRN
— BBC Balkan News (@BBCBalkans) January 26, 2015
January 26 - The Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said that BIRN lied three times. Read here in Serbian what he was referring to.
January 25 - Biljana 77 wrote a blog on B92 citing many reasons why she is not BIRN:
"I am not BIRN because I do not know how it is to be exposed every day just because you are doing your job professionally and honestly."
"I am not BIRN because I have never felt any pressure coming (not for the first time) from the most powerful people in the country and their printing offices."
"I am not BIRN because the photos of me are not in the headlines with heinous accusations."
January 25 - Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has continued accusing BIRN of unconstitutional action today on TV Prva.
It seems that Mr. Vucic is not aware of Article 8 of the country's Public Information Act, adopted in August 2014.
"Elected, appointed or nominated holder of a public and political function is required to tolerate critical thinking, which is related to the results of his work, or policy implemented in connection with the performance of his function, regardless of whether he/she personally feels offended by that opinion," the Article says.
January 25 - The attacks on BIRN continue. Ljiljana Smajlovic, editor in chief of the Politika daily paper, has accused Gordana Igric, BIRN regional director, of trying to discredit Politika's reporting by saying that the paper is funded from the state budget.
"As if she caught us in a sloppy and selective reporting on 'Kolubara', and not that the World Bank [caught] her [in a sloppy and selective reporting]," Smajlovic noted. Read the full article on Politika.rs.
January 24 - Gordana Igric, BIRN regional director, has written a diary for Danas daily newspaper. Follow the link to see how Mrs. Igric was dealing with the attack on BIRN coming from the state and its media allies. Her moods were shifting from being upset, confused, hungry to laughing, being touched, and calm.
January 23 - A variety of options to fund the de-watering of Tamnava mine were seemingly ignored - causing major loses that a later World Bank loan will only partly cover. Read the full story on Balkan Insight.
January 23
PM in #Serbia again shows his contempt 4 independent media calling @birnbalkans liars: http://t.co/up8qJJqCf0. Outrageous but typical
— Lydia Gall (@LydsG) January 23, 2015
January 23 - The German daily paper Tageszeitung is very critical about the press freedoms in Serbia and the PM Aleksandar Vucic as the main culprit behind that one.
"Those who criticize Vucic are automatically qualified as an enemy of the state, as someone financed by the mafia, bloodied tycoons or from abroad in a bid to topple Vucic and destabilize the country," the paper said. Read the full article in Serbian on Deutsche Welle.
January 23 - Istinomer has an interesting article on whether we should trust the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic or our own eyes. The question of trust can also be asked in the case of BIRN's investigation into Tamnava mine. Read the full article here.
January 23 - The attack on BIRN has hit a new low -- E-novine portal has called BIRN regional director, Goca Igric, a pole dancer for Michael Davenport, EU Delegation head in Serbia. See the article here and the photo caption below:
January 23 - BIRN has filed a complaint against the Informer daily newspaper at the Complaints Commission of the Serbian Press Council.
January 23 - Read the Euronews analysis by Mark Davis about the emergency situation in terms of freedom of expression in Serbia under the headline "Freedom of the press: war of words between EU and candidate country Serbia."
"Aleksandar Vučić, who took office last April, has accused the EU of orchestrating a media campaign against him and paying journalists to slander his government," the article says.
January 22 - Rightist analyst, Djordje Vukadinovic, wrote in his column in Politika daily paper: "I do not mind (on the contrary!) criticism against politics and behavior of foreign representatives. But I also think that some of the questions BIRN asked deserve an answer, not a scolding and insults."
January 22 - One more victory for BIRN: Following the initial denial, energy minister Aleksandar Antic confirmed in Kaziprst TV program that the winning consortium did not have previous experience in the field.
January 22 - After campaigning against BIRN, Politika daily paper went to the Tamnava mine and saw that the job has yet to be done and that the Dutch company is doing the job.
January 22 - Zlatko Jelisavac is ironically asking how "these mercenaries and servants of the EU" dared to doubt the regularity of the Tamnava mine tender. "And what does that BIRN even know about the pumped water?" he wrote. Read the full article at Autonomija.info.
January 22 -
Investigative Journalism, From BIRN's Probe to Porn Vids: When someone mentions the phr... http://t.co/rPORr7qZ60 #Serbia"
— BBC Balkan (@BalkanBBC) January 21, 2015
January 21 - According to Branko Cecen, Director of the Center for Investigative Journalism in Serbia (CINS), BIRN's story fully meets the investigative journalism definition by David Kaplan, Director of the Global Investigative Journalism Network.
In his book "Global Investigative Journalism: Strategies for Support", Kaplan says that although the definitions vary, there is broad agreement on its major components: "Systematic, in-depth, and original research and reporting, often involving the unearthing of secrets." Follow the link to read why BIRN's story fits into this.
January 21 - Vesna Pesic, renowned Serbian sociologist and former politican, says in her article on Pescanik.net that the country's PM Aleksandar Vucic is dubbing EU mercenaries those pointing to his government's thievery.
January 21 - Milan Antonijevic of YUCOM says that there is a pressure on the civil society organizations in the country, and BIRN case is the latest example.
January 21 - Pescanik.net is criticising Oliver Antic's (advisor to the Serbian president) attack on BIRN in the Saturday edition of the Politika daily paper.
According to Antic, "BIRN is poisining the public" and attacking the government. But, Bojan Gavrilovic wrote on Pescanik that the advisor cannot make a difference between the attack and criticism.
January 20 - Milos Vasic of the Vreme weekly paper also sided with BIRN, saying that both Air Serbia and Tamnava investigations were factual. Read his full story on journalists' apologies in Serbia here.
January 20 - World Bank representatives in Serbia have once again reiterated today that the instutiion stands behind what it said before in the row over BIRN investigation into Tamnava mine, but cannot reveal a copy of the internal review, which gave the controversial mine tender the all clear.
January 20 - Branko Cecen of the Center for Investigative Journalism in Serbia is asking "what exactly is investigative journalism in Serbia?"
"The next time someone mentions investigative journalism, ask yourself whether you think of BIRN or some irresponsible tabloid," Cecen said on Cenzolovka referring to tabloid Informer, which published on Saturday fake naked photos of the newly elected Croatian president, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic.
Lektira za danas. Cenzolovka @scfondacija postaje sve ozbiljniji sajt. Samo napred. http://t.co/0LsKJAh8Ue
— Dusan Masic (@dusanmasic) January 20, 2015
January 20 - Zeleni Telegraf, blog on environmental issues, says that BIRN's investigation into Tamnava mine is in good direction. You may find it in Serbian here.
January 20 - Dragan Vucicevic, Informer editor in chief, was again discrediting BIRN and Tamnava investiigation in his TV show on the Pink TV last night.
"I would commit hara-kiri, if I were BIRN," he said.
January 19 - BIRN Director has sent out a letter to the Serbian editors across the country asking them to jointly press the authorities to answer on BIRN's five questions in the interest of the people of Serbia.
January 19 - In his new article on Pescanik.net, Sasa Ilic said that PM Vucic's behavious over BIRN investigation shows his split between the discourse of the Radicals' imagining of foreign mercenaries and the Prorgessives' commitment to European values.
"That is why the replica (calling BIRN journalists 'liars') from the press conference sounds like a mutant of the past, which shows a high degree of nervousness which causes should be sought in a catastrophic functioning of Vucic's cabinet work on remediating the consequences of the May floods," Ilic wrote.
January 19 - Draza Petrovic wrote a funny little poem in Danas daily paper: "Peace between Davenport and Vucic: peace peace peace, no one is BIRN..." (referring to "Je suis BIRN")
January 19 - Italian press also condemns PM Vucic's reaction over BIRN investigation. Read the full report in Italian by David Denti here.
January 19 -
#Serbia United against the freedom of the press: PM Vučić, film director Kusturica MT @birnbalkans: Attacks continue http://t.co/E6K4OffKHB
— tanja malle (@scharlatanja) January 19, 2015
January 18 - Transparency Serbia said that everyone seems to be talking about everything else but not the actual content and facts presented in the BIRN article.
"Now it is important for public to get answers to the question of how much has been done within the agreed term, whether there were objective reasons for it (e.g. More work than originally envisaged) or not? Is there a legal ground to continue with the work, since it is has not been reported that changes in the contract had been made?" Transparency said.
January 18 - For Zoran Panovic, editor in chief of Danas daily paper, PM Vucic's reaction on the BIRN's investigation looked like his throw back to the 90s.
But, soon after, Vucic showed he is back on the tracks by meeting with the EU delegation head in Serbia, visiting Kosovo Serbs and getting a greeting card from US president Barack Obama, Panovic noted.
January 17 - Movie director Emir Kusturica has joined the attacks on BIRN dubbing the media outlet "neo-colonial organization."
The filmmaker does not seem to have read the investigation into the Tamnava mine.
January 17 - Oliver Antic, advisor to the Serbian president, strongly condemns "BIRN's attack" on the country's government saying that BIRN is "poisoning the public."
"BIRN is harshly attacking the government for having saved 23 million euro of the Serbian tax payers," Antic said in Politika daily newspaper.
January 17 - Follow the link to see five questions BIRN asked the Serbian government and power company, EPS in an open letter.
January 16 - About 40 civil society organizations in Serbia have called the country's institutions to investigate BIRN's findings. Read the full report on Istinomer.
January 16 - The World Bank has declined BIRN's request to see a copy of the internal review, which gave the controversial mine tender the all clear. Read the full article on Balkan Insight.
Here you can see the questions BIRN asked the World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C. on January 12 and 14.
January 16 - Cenzolovka published a funny fiction story with so-called Mr. BIRN and other persons from the media and political scene as main characters. Read the story in Serbian on Cenzolovka.
January 16 - Citizens' Oversight of Public Finances has called on the Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to reveal the amounts of money going from the state budget to the media.
"Making this data public will provide a clear insight into the causes that led to the restriction of media freedom and the expulsion of critical thought from the media," the organization said.
January 16 -
I would have thought Vucic should thank BIRN for exposing corruption, which is what he says he wants, not attack it. http://t.co/9SrkLNTQ1J
— Tim Judah (@timjudah1) January 16, 2015
January 16 - The attacks on BIRN have now culminated in the Serbian parliament with Mirko Atlagic of the ruling Progressives saying that the media attacks on Vucic have become very dangerous for the PM's personal safety.
According to Atlagic, some people are even calling for the PM's murder.
He said that with the Tamnava investigation, BIRN has joined these attacks on the prime minister. Read the full report on Blic.rs.
January 16 - "Tabloid" praised BIRN's investigation and Slobodan Georgijev's work.
January 15 - "Pressure on journalists is unacceptable, and heated debates between the authorities and journalists are not unusual for any democratic society," said OSCE's Dunja Mijatovic. Read the full article on B92.
January 15 - Follow the link to tell your opinion on the BIRN's investigation.
January 15 - Serbian NGO Birodi (Bureau for Social Research) has called on the country's Prosecutor's Office to examine the claims from the BIRN investigation.
"Instead of the expected reaction from the Prosecutor's Office, we are faced with "media discrediation" of those who point to the (possible) abuse and violation of the law," Birodi said in a statement.
January 15 - Follow the link to see how the Vreme weekly newspaper covered the attack on BIRN.
January 15 - Read the article that triggered the attacks against BIRN in English
January 15 - Follow us on twitter and join the discussion #VucicVsBIRN https://twitter.com/birnbalkans
January 15 - Vucic-friendly tabloid daily Informer lashes out at BIRN on the front page, calling BIRN journalists "media mafia" that wanted to seize 23,2 million euro.
"Head of BIRN, journalist Slobodan Georgiev, instead of apologizing for the lie, he continues to attack the government over censorship, and claims that he is being persecuted!?!" Informer said.
January 15 - Take a look at the entire clipping arhive with media attacks on BIRN >>
January 14 - BIRN's Sloba Georgijev on the Tamnava tender on N1 TV.
Janaury 14 - Website "Cenzolovka" sides with BIRN by saying that everyone is talking about BIRN investigation but has anyone actually read it? Read the full article on Cenzolovka.
January 14 - Analyst Jovo Bakic reveals why BIRN's investigation has made Vucic so angry? Read the full article on Politika.rs.
January 14 - Slobodan Georgijev of BIRN told the B92 news programme that BIRN did not manipulate
information and that the media outlet stood behind what it had published.
"We did our job in the best way, professionally and in the public interest," Georgijev said.
A statement by a representative of the World Bank that the tender was in line with rules had not been published on the website of the World Bank, he noted.
"We did not deal with the World Bank in the text, so I did not understand from what perspective the institution's representative, Vesna Kostic, commented on our text," Georgiev said on January 13.
Vladimir Djukanovic, parliamentarian of the ruling Progressives, told the same news programme that one can doubt the credibility of the World Bank. "This is dilettantism and if one really believes that the World Bank is not credible, God bless him," Djukanovic said.
January 14 - Gordana Igric, BIRN Regional Director, talked about the investigation into the Tamnava mine on the Radio Television Vojvodina, RTV. You can see an insert on the RTV's YouTube channel.
January 14 - Under the headline "We are not BIRN," Ljiljana Smajlovic, editor in chief of Politika daily newspaper penned an editorial on January 14 accusing BIRN of sloppy reporting in the case of Tamnava mine.
"There are a million ways for a journalist to make a mistake, but only one good to correct it - to acknowledge the mistake as soon as he realizes it, and to apologize if someone has been damaged. Otherwise, there is suspicion that the mistake was not accidental," Smajlovic wrote.
She was referring to the statement on BIRN's investigation from the World Bank, which said the tender procedure was in line with the law. Therefore, BIRN could learn something from such notorious Serbian tabloids as 'Tabloid' and 'Kurir', she added not citing what exactly.
She added that while BIRN is not well known to a wider audience, it obtains significant funds from Western donors, especially the EU.
Smajlovic concluded that BIRN had turned out not to be a proper replacement for the mainstream media, in response to a statement by BIRN's Slobodan Georgijev, that BIRN is important as Serbia's mainstream media act as government allies.
"In a few weeks we will know where we are on the latest list of Reporters Without Borders. But on the list of 'investigative reporters without borders' we have definitely progressed," Smajlovic ended the editorial, ironically.
January 13 - A journalist of Radio Free Europe in Belgrade has written a short, mocking poem under the headline "Vucic told BIRN: Read useful books and not harmful contracts!" Read the poem in Serbian on Radio Free Europe's website.
January 13 - The EU Delegation to Serbia said political interference in the media community and different forms of abuse, like violence against journalists, were still major issues in Western Balkan societies, and, to rectify the situation, a cultural change and different behaviour in politics, judiciary and the media were required.
"Political interference in the media, economic problems like media concentration, different forms of abuse, like violence against journalists, remain major issues in the Western Balkan societies and Turkey," the Delegation reported on January 13.
"To rectify the situation requires more than a mere transposition of EU rules. It requires a cultural change and altered behavior in politics, judiciary and the media," it added.
The Delegation recalled that no state could join the EU if it was unable to guarantee freedom of expression as a fundamental human right.
"The EU expects the authorities to guarantee the environment that would favor the freedom of expression and media. Critical media are vital to exercising the realistic responsibility of elected governments; governments, on the other hand, should readily accept criticism and study it in a transparent way," the Delegation said.
January 12 - This is how Serbian cartoonist Marko Somborac sees Vucic-EU row over BIRN investigation.
January 12 - Slobodan Georgijev from BIRN Serbia has expressed hope that his media outlet is not a particular target of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's, saying the recent pressure reflects the Prime Minister's desire to keep all the media under control.
In an interview with Seebiz.eu, Georgijev said Vucic was probably exerting tighter control over the media than any other Prime Minister in the country's history.
According to Georgijev, Vucic believes that it is not important what he is actually doing but what people believe he is doing.
"There is no old and new Vucic. For 20 years he struggled to come to power and now we see him in full capacity for the first time," Georgijev said.
According to Georgijev, Serbia has no mainstream media continuously monitoring government policies, as they have turned into a channel celebrating of the life and work of Vucic.
"If there is no free media that have to struggle with their readers and viewers for freedom, then there is neither a free state," Georgijev concluded.
January 12 - Reuters reported on how Serbian PM accused EU of backing anti-government media. Read the full article on Reuters.
January 12 - The Serbian Interior Minister said the row with the EU over the BIRN investigation had shown that only members of the Serbian government were not entitled to their own opinion.
"Not even when they want to protect the interests of Serbia and its people," Stefanovic told Vecernje Novosti newspaper.
According to him, the government did not allow a far more expensive company to win the Tamnava mine tender, and so a local firm won. "We did not want to throw away 23 million euros of the Serbian people," Stefanovic said.
The minister accused the Progressives' coalition partner, the Socialists, of failing to support Vucic in this critical situation.
January 12 - Boris Tadic, leader of the Social Democrats and former President of Serbia, has called Prime Minister Vucic's reaction to the dispute with BIRN "exaggerated."
"Strained relations with the EU due to legitimate journalistic questions are counterproductive and irresponsible, bearing in mind the interests of the people in this country," Tadic told the daily Blic newspaper.
According to him, even if the authorities consider some journalists are not responsible and objective, they should respond in a democratic and institutional manner, rather than by calling them liars and mercenaries.
January 12 - The Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies, CEAS, said Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic was treating voters irresponsibly by engaging in a controversy with representatives of the EU over BIRN's investigation.
CEAS said that Vucic's accusations, made "at the expense of an active diplomat of the European Union", represent "an insult to the institution he represents".
It is "all the more surprising," the statement added, that the Prime Minister told a news conference on Friday: "Tell those liars that they have lied again." CEAS said leaders in Serbia did not genuinely want Serbia to advance towards the EU, "knowing… how their autocratic rule and Serbia's 'Putinization' would be affected by the European practice of respect for freedom of speech, a free press… which luckily are still the predominant environment in the EU, despite these values being undermined by politicians within the EU who Vucic obviously wants to look up to."
January 12 - BIRN asked the World Bank headquarters in Washington D.C. to clarify the institution's
involvement in the Tamnava tender and verification procedure of the winning consortium.
January 12 - The World Bank said the tender for pumping water out of the Tamnava mine was conducted in accordance with applicable regulations and practices.
Vesna Kostic, spokesperson of the World Bank Office in Serbia, said the World Bank had agreed to carry out this procedure according to Serbian laws, not their own rules of public procurement, due to exceptional circumstances, meaning the recent floods.
"Pumping water out of the Tamnava mine is financed by the World Bank. Whenever and wherever the World Bank finances projects of such value, a tender is mandatory," Kostic said.
"I am very unpleasantly surprised that someone who presents himself as an investigative reporter did not come to these data, although they were available to the public from the beginning," she added.
January 11 - Analyst Dejan Vuk Stankovic sees the dispute as a mere exchange of views, which is a normal part of democratic life. "In a democracy, it is possible to have different views on the same topics," Stankovic told Tanjug.
According to him, freedom of expression was guaranteed in Serbia, since BIRN could investigate, publish, and, through that process, influence the public.
January 11 - Analyst Dusan Janjic said the dispute between Brussels and Prime Minister Vucic was a test of Vucic's EU orientation, while Dejan Vuk Stankovic said it was a mere exchange of opinions."This in fact is pressure on Vucic… to say whether he is still a partner of the EU or not," Janjic told Serbia's Tanjug news agency.
"This should certainly be seen as additional pressure from the European Union to determine whether the Prime Minister is moving towards the union, or has joined the trend of stopping the negotiation process, which President Tomislav Nikolic announced," Janjic added.
According to him, there is real tension between the government, the OSCE and the EU on the issue of freedom of speech and of the press.
January 11 - The President of Republika Srpska, the mainly Serbian entity in Bosnia, said the row between Vucic and the EU over the BIRN investigation was not about freedom of the media but about the "lies of the European Commission."
Milorad Dodik said the European Commission had never said whether it would check to see whether the NGO - BIRN - that it was supporting was telling the truth or not.
"As a rule, synonymous now with freedom of speech for the European Commission should be a lie," Dodik told Pink TV on January 11. He said that he fully understood Vucic on the issue.
January 11 - Labour Minister Aleksandar Vulin expressed surprise with the EU reaction to the row between Vucic and BIRN.
"Nobody has the right to give orders to the Prime Minister except the Serbian people who gave him the right in elections to fight for their interests and for the interests of the country," Vulin said.
The minister said he did not understand why the same rules did not apply to Serbia as to any other country, referring to Serbia's right to fight for its interests and economy and to respect its own laws.
"The Prime Minister has the right to think, speak and respond to journalists' question, but he also has the obligation to fight for the interests of Serbia and its people," Vulin said.
January 11 - The Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy said BIRN's investigation did "not match the truth" in key segments.
"The bidder who offered the lowest price and the shortest time frames, but also complete documentation with full banking guarantees of good execution of the job, was selected for the tender," the Ministry said.
The ministry said information that an offer made by a foreign company was rejected for administrative reasons was incorrect.
"This bidder gave a price that was three times higher for pumping out the water, and in a non-binding offer, without the necessary banking guarantee and the necessary accompanying documentation," it added.
January 10 - Serbian legal expert Vesna Rakic Vodinelic has described Prime Minister Vucic as an "unbalanced autocrat" in connection with his accusations against BIRN journalists.
Under the headline "Je suis BIRN," Vodinelic said that Vucic had managed in the same day to pay homage to the victims of the terror attack in Paris while accusing journalists at home of being paid liars.
She said he did not understand, or perhaps did not care, "that freedom of speech is the freedom of the people to the strongman and against him, not vice versa," she wrote on Pescanik.net website.
"We do not have the right to decorate ourselves with the honorable epithet 'Je suis Charlie' if we are persistently silent or relativize the absurd decomposition of the form (not mentioning the substance) of parliamentary democracy in Serbia," she added.
January 10 - The Independent Association of Journalists in Serbia, NUNS, has issued a statement accusing Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic of putting pressure on BIRN.
"Calling BIRN's journalists liars with the accusation that they have received money to 'speak against the government' is vocabulary that belongs to past times and is unacceptable for a democratic society and for a state that, as Vucic himself often says, wants to become part of the EU," NUNS said.
The statement said such behaviour represents open pressure, not only on BIRN journalists, endangering freedom of the media.
Serbia's lack of media freedom is raising some fundamental questions about the country's democracy.
On 8 November Andrija Rodic, the owner of the Adria Media Group – which publishes 18 magazines including the daily tabloid Kurir – came out with a public apology to Serbian citizens for his role in producing overly favourable coverage of the situation in the country, alongside 80 per cent of Serbia's other local media owners.
Read the full article on Balkan Insight.
Serbian tabloid Informer, which has links to Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, has used a feud between the government and rival tabloid Kurir to resurrect its on-going campaign against independent media organisations BIRN, KRIK and CINS, which is gaining traction in local press.
Read the full article on Balkan Insight.
These are the translated versions of the pro-government tabloid 'Informer' where a series of allegations about the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, CINS and Krik was published.
You can download the translated version of Informer for November 9 here.
You can download the translated version of Informer for November 10 here.
Kurir owner Rodic on Monday accused Miroslav Bogicevic, a Serbian businessman currently on trial for corruption and Goran Veselinovic, a member of the main board of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, of blackmailing him with the backing of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.
Read the full article on Balkan Insight.
Serbian interior minister questioned credibility of BIRN as the funding of organization comes only from abroad, after a week of campaign against independent investigative journalism organizations in tabloid media.
Read the full article on http://birn.eu.com/en/news-and-events/serbian-minister-questions-birn-credibility-due-to-foreign-funding
The pro-government tabloid 'Informer' has published a series of allegations about the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, following its investigation into a secret government contract with the UAE's Etihad Airways. Read the full article on Balkan Insight.
Serbian PM slates BIRN investigation into whether Serbia overpaid for airline contract with Etihad as inaccurate, and says the govt should have been contacted for up-to-date information. Read the full article on Balkan Insight.
The EU condemned a statement by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic accusing the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of being paid by Brussels to publish lies to undermine his government. Read the full article on Balkan Insight.
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic accused an EU official of trying to silence his claim that the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network is trying to undermine his government. Read the full article on Balkan Insight.
Serbia's coalition partners are holding an emergency session to discuss their agreement, after the Progressives complained that the Socialists were not supporting them in defence of the tender that prompted a BIRN investigation. Read the full article on Balkan Insight.


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
By Shaun Smith
Traditional measures of customer satisfaction have little to do with financial performance. According to research 80% of customers who switch suppliers express satisfaction with their previous supplier. Revenue growth has everything to do with advocacy, the extent to which customers prefer a supplier and then refer others to it.
The principles of customer advocacy hold true whatever the nature of your industry and customer base. The fact is that delighted customers have an affiliation for the brand that translates into bottom line growth. So how do you create a level of customer satisfaction that is so strong that customers become your best sales people? The answer lies in creating a customer experience that is so distinctive and valuable that it goes beyond satisfaction – and beyond loyalty.
Customer advocacy requires you to know who your most profitable customers are and to consistently deliver a customer experience so as to create a high degree of trust in your brand. Only then will these loyal and highly profitable customers be prepared to recommend your organisation to others. In his HBR article 'The one number you need to grow' Frederick Reichheld argues that the only measure of performance that really matters is the 'Net-Promoter Index'. This is the result of subtracting those customers who are dissatisfied from those who are highly satisfied. Our term for this is the 'Advocacy Index' and our customer experience management survey measures this to determine the extent to which your firm will grow organically through attracting and retaining profitable customers through word-of-mouth.
By focusing on delighting highly profitable customers, companies keep them loyal and eventually turn them into advocates who attract others who value the same things.
Getting people to deliver the customer experience
The 'people' factor is one of the most important determinants of customer loyalty. The question is, how do you electrify and energize people in your organisation? How do you align them with your customer-focused strategy? The answer lies in the following four key factors that are critical to successful employee alignment:
Recruit the right people
If you wonder what getting and keeping the right employees has to do with getting and keeping the right customers, the answer is everything" says Frederick Reicheld in his book 'The Loyalty Effect'. What's critical is that you first identify the fundamental behaviors and values your brand requires and then recruit people on the basis of those behaviors and values.
Train them right
Develop training that teaches people not just what the core behaviors are but how to live them for customers. Focus on training that enables people to turn brand values into competitive advantage.
Reward the right brand behaviors
The soft stuff needs a hard side. You need to develop metrics for evaluating the use and impact of core and specific brand behaviors and then align reward and recognition systems with these metrics.
Demonstrate the right brand behaviors from the top
Senior managers need to set the example. The way they treat employees is reflective of how employees will treat customers. Leaders must communicate a sense of purpose and constantly reinforce the values of the organisation. They must also remember the connection between what colleagues want and what customers want. Above all, they must encourage colleagues to observe and challenge the organisation through customers' eyes.


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Fancy Rat Exercise And Entertainment
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Discussion in 'Photos' started by kiwiDakar, Jun 29, 2002.
Which one? Oh, ok, here's an overview of most of the running bikes.
Set to music... you call that music?
I sang the lyrics... you call that singing? (ok, spoken by me)
Something's got to be done about this!

Bought today
wow the new klr looks great! i like the graphics.
+1 it's nice.
WOW they are getting better each year !! I like +1 .
Here's my Triumph Tiger 955i. Not had it long. Big trip planned in September 2013 down to Italy / Switzerland and the Alps. Stopping off in Germany, on the way down, at the Black Forest
This is my Suzuki DR800 BIG, just before stripping it down for a makeover, work in progress......
And know...............
Sounds like one HECK of a trip.
Enjoy and ride safe.
Post MANY pics please, for those of us that will probably never be able to see and ride that area of the world. I do hope to someday though.
Nice bike BTW.
Dude! You got a great eye for photography!!! Well done, and great bike
That is a great photo !
My boxer
man, I have to break out my magnifying glass.... hey, it WORKED!
Sent from my left shoe using TapTalk

Sales guy had to run out and take a pic before I left the showroom
I want to love those Explorers so much, but they feel so much heavier than my 1050 Tiger was. Granted I haven't ridden one yet, but just sitting on a couple made me rethink things. I'm curious as to your impressions after a few miles on it.
My XC with just over 12,000 miles.
15000 miles on mine and going strong... Never ridden 1050 though... It feels heavier to lift than a Vee - don't ask me how I know...
Nova Scotia on Explorer


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Blake Lively used to idolise Britney Spears and based her prom outfit on the singer's style.The 'Gossip Girl' actress - who is married to heartthrob Ryan Reynolds - was fascinated by the pop star when a teenager and even based her school dance gown on what Britney's own style.Blake said: "[My teen idol was] Britney Spears. My prom dress looked like something she'd have worn - powder pink and with a bare midriff. I had to wear flat shoes with it, as my date was so short."While the stunning star is known for her stylish outfit choices, she has a favourite era for fashion and dreams of re-visiting the period and wearing the classic pieces.She told Tatler magazine: "I love old-Hollywood glamour and elegance. I feel like I'm displaced in time. I wish we could still go back to the grocery store in white gloves and a top hat."Blake treasures one piece of advice given to her by French footwear designer Christian Louboutin while they were on a shoot in France.She recalled: "Christian Louboutin once said to me, 'You make up your mind about what kind of life you want to live. I choose to live in a fairytale.'"We were on a Vespa in Paris on our way to a wedding - he was in a three-piece suit and my dress was trailing behind. It was beautiful."