In Croatia, many people know that I was close to being dismissed from my primary media company, Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), on several occasions, and that I received multiple warnings before potential termination. The popular show “Hrvatska uživo” (“Croatia Live”), in which I worked, was canceled without valid reason—only because its openness clashed with the network’s programming direction. Due to my criticism of HRT, I often heard comments like, “You’re biting the hand that feeds you,” which reflect a deep misunderstanding of the role and purpose of public media services.
I have often told the general directors and the Minister of Culture and Media that this way of managing, along with the lack of independent work, is leading HRT toward collapse and the downfall of everything that the idea of a public media service stands for: public interest, accountability, and respect for the citizens who fund us.
It all began long ago, in the early 1990s, when Vlado Gotovac responded to my complaints about censorship at HRT with a blunt reply: “I would even pour a bucket of filth over all your heads there, as I don’t see or hear you fighting against censorship.” Since then, I have carried this imaginary bucket with me, refusing to follow the advice not to “bite the hand that feeds me.” It is those at HRT who fail to support free, professional public service journalism who are truly “biting the hand that feeds them.” These are the people who refuse to change the HRT Law, which mandates the appointment of the general director and most of HRT’s supervisory bodies by a simple parliamentary majority. They are the ones who succumb to political pressures and censorship and those who wish to eliminate journalism from HRT’s programming. HRT is being destroyed by those who have, for years, pushed out honest journalists or sidelined them, preferring to outsource content and technical services rather than build a strong, independent program that serves citizens instead of politicians.
I believe that public media services are essential for every democratic society today. In an era when Big Tech platforms control journalistic content, when algorithms determine which information reaches the public, and when disinformation permeates society with devastating consequences, the role of public media services is crucial. As media dependent on citizens, their trust, and public fees, public media services should be accountable to these citizens, build trust through independent, quality journalism, and offer journalism free from the influence of political powers, state advertising, or corporate advertisements. Public media services, including HRT, must be places of freedom, not only for their survival but for the survival of democracy.
Unfortunately, in Croatia, as in many European countries, we are witnessing the opposite trend. Reports on the rule of law and relevant international initiatives like the Media Freedom Rapid Response and Media Pluralism Monitor regularly issue warnings about political influence over public media services. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism emphasizes that public media services are vital for society and democracy, yet it is increasingly apparent that many are not adequately protected from political and financial pressures.
Across Europe, we see examples of the weakening of public media services in France, Finland, Slovakia, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In Slovakia, for instance, the law allows the government to oversee the editorial policy of public radio and television, raising concerns about the survival of independent journalism. In Galicia, public service journalists at CRTVG have been fighting for years against political control and privatization through outsourcing, leading them to strike and organize regular “Black Friday” actions.
In Germany, the Association of Journalists (DJV) has expressed concern over the decision not to increase fees, resulting in the cancellation of several radio stations and the reduction of specialized programs. DJV describes this as “short-sighted media policy” at a time when disinformation and propaganda are rampant. Such measures, according to DJV, threaten the foundations of quality journalism and increase the risk of commercialization. In the United Kingdom, budget cuts at the BBC have prompted the National Union of Journalists to call this move an “attack on journalism,” as it limits the BBC’s ability to fulfill its mission at a time when trust in the media is already eroded.
The European Union recognizes the need to protect public media services, and Article 5 of the European Media Freedom Act regulates measures to shield public media from political pressures and ensure their financial stability.
Given the rise in disinformation and propaganda, strong and independent public media are more important than ever for preserving democratic values. The struggle of journalists to preserve public media services in Slovakia, Galicia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries underscores the importance of defending freedom of speech and citizens’ right to access objective information. By implementing the EMFA and with support from journalistic organizations such as SNH, HND, and EFJ, Europe can help protect these values, without which democratic society cannot exist.
We are not biting the hand that feeds us; on the contrary, we are trying to defend a system that serves the citizens, a system based on the fundamental principles of public media service—universality, diversity, and innovation. It is crucial to return to the basics, for no matter how many new platforms and tools emerge, quality and truthful content remains what the public seeks. The survival of public media services depends on a return to truthful, professional, and quality journalism. This is the only path and the only meaning for the survival of public media services.
For years, many HRT administrations have moved in the opposite direction, stifling freedom, professionalism, and journalism. It is now clear that citizens and society will not defend entertainment programs and good films, as all of that can be found on numerous commercial platforms. The journalism that bad management, poor legislation, and politicians who do not understand the concept of the public good have been destroying for years is the only true defense of public media services. Only independent, professional, and quality journalism can restore citizens’ trust and defend public media services, not only in Croatia but let the change start from Croatia. To begin, the government should implement the European Media Freedom Act and ensure that HRT’s governing bodies are chosen independently of politics and financially stable by amending the HRT Law. However, real change begins in the newsroom by strengthening quality journalism in HRT’s programming.
Maja Sever, TUCJ and EFJ