While those in power make the media accomplices of abuses and illegalities, a blinded media turns away from its fundamental role to serve the public and becomes an efficient instrument to endorse a dirty order.

 

In terms of the grave dangers that journalism worldwide faces, the region of southeastern Europe has become a laboratory to study. What was seen as post-socialist transitional turmoil in the Balkans and as post-Cold War pain in changes in Turkey in the media, is now a guidebook on the demise of a key profession around the globe.

 

"There were newspapers founded, and indeed for about 10 years, they were trying to print money not text. Money and not newspapers..." wrote Predrag Lucic, a respected journalist from Croatia.

 

"The newspaper owners were more or less companions of the ruling politicians, the ruling elites. What should have been a public issue was taken away from the public and what should have been journalism was taken away from journalists, but no one did it alone, they themselves [journalists] had part in it, unfortunately. In my opinion, journalists and editors are most to blame. There was no defense of professional integrity there. There was overwillingness to serve owners and their interests, more willingness even than owners could expect, and more than any market factor could expect. In the meantime, the profession degenerated in terms of craft and ethics."

 

Against the backdrop of the immense demise, at the end of 2012, an initiative involving seven members of the regional network, Southeastern Network of the Professionalization of the Media (SEENPM), led to intensive monitoring of problems with media integrity in the region.

 

The latest result is a thick report, titled "Reclaiming Public Service Values in Media and Journalism," which diagnoses the root causes for the demise in media, and outlining the risks -- 63 in all.

 

"Media which do not serve the interests of the public are corrupt," said Brankica Petkovic, as we gathered in Tirana yesterday, for a well-attended regional conference.

 

"The current ownership relations in the media sector vividly demonstrate how the revolving door between politics and media functions. To understand how corruption works, one should understand its fundamental principle, that is, the way in which corruption influences governance, or to be more precise, poor governance that destroys democracy.

"Democracy requires from those in power to rule to the benefit of all. Democracy rests on freedom of expression, freedom of speech and media freedom. Corrupt media spell the death for democracy. They are a deeply undemocratic institution that transforms the state into a private company," said Petkovic.

 

The mainly "insider" expert study reads like a tale of gloom and doom. At its focus are media ownership and public broadcasting issues, the state powers' unwillingness to enhance the role to media as servants of the public interest, as well as the journalists themselves.

 

Here are some of the risks they have identified, for example, on ownership: "Media ownership is not transparent." "Dominant media owners use media for the promotion of their own and disqualification of opposing political agenda." "Media ownership patterns enable the excessive use of media for political and business interests which disregard public interest and democratic role of the media." "The news agency that has a dominant position in the market is owned by the state." "Organized crime and criminal groups are hidden owners of media outlets." "Secret services are hiding behind formal or fake media ownership, intervening in public and political communication..." "Privatization of state-owned media is done in a non-transparent way; or delayed/blocked for preserving control and influence of particular political groups and interests...'"

 

Given the despair in the Balkans and the shocks of hyper-reality of the shackled media in Turkey, and also in Hungary, the hope is that the overall issue gains more priority in the EU. The struggle will have to go on, because, as simply put: With no media freedom and independence, forget democracy.

 

Column is originally published on Todays Zaman.