Draxblog III

Public House

The article in today's Slobodna Dalmacija reports about HRT reporters being pressured by their editors not to report anything negative about certain Croatian companies like INA. Those companies bring large share of advertising profit to HRT and any threat of those ads being pulled would have, according to article, serious consequences for HRT.

This practice might be un-ethical, but it isn't surprising because journalists and news organisations even in Western countries are subjected to similar kind of pressure.

However, there is one big difference. HRT isn't commercial station. It is financed by all Croatians through "subscription" tax and many of its employees like to describe it as "public television" as an euphemism for "state-run".

Yet, this didn't prevent HRT from taking over 70 % of all TV ad market in Croatia. Such large profits allowed HRT to keep hundreds of people on its payroll, as well as to continue producing megalomaniacal flops like Survivor Croatia.

And now it seems that the HRT, corrupted by all this money, has betrayed its own primary mission - being professional, reliable and unbiased source of information to Croatian public.

Instead of "public television" HRT now could be best described as "public house". And in Croatian "public house" is an euphemism for "house of ill repute".

Familiar and Not So Familiar Sights

 

One of the worst curses is "May Christane Amanpour report live from your backyard".  And now I see Christiane Amanpour reporting from her own London neighbourhood.

 

King of Croatian Internet Lost His Paper Fiefdom

 

Matija Babić (Matija Babic), Croatian journalist who became Croatian king of Internet after breaking many important news stories on www.index.hr site is no longer editor-in-chief of Croatian daily tabloid 24 sata.

This is hardly surprising. Babić, who was considered a liberal and left-winger, probably felt uncomfortable about tabloid's tilt towards right-wing readership and increased levels of ethnic chauvinism in its text.

However, what brought Babić down - according to index.hr - is today's front page titled "Everyone Hates Sanader" (link here).

 

Katie Liberation War

Matthew Yglesias offers very interesting explanation for the American public’s dislike of the romance between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

I must admit that I’m also troubled with the whole affair, although for the different reasons. I’ve never been Dawson Creek fan and I was introduced to the talents of charming Ms. Holmes through films, including the famous “opposite of Holocaust” performance in Gift.

What I find troubling is the fact that the romance – real or marketing ploy – is so relentlessly promoted before the premiere of War of the Worlds. And that leaves more than few doubts in the film’s quality, because if the film is good and able to attract audience by its own merit, all this brouhaha wouldn’t be employed.

And this isn’t happening to some “high concept” star vehicle or just another summer blockbuster. War of the Worlds is supposed to be prestigious adaptation of science fiction classic and another potential masterpiece by top American filmmaker.

And with big possibility Katie Holmes’ fans boycotting the film just to force the end to what they see as “abomination”, War of the Worlds might turn into commercial disaster, ruin of many promising careers and global heartbreak.

Jacko Walks

So, he was pronounced not guilty on all charges. I was apparently wrong, not taking into account recent history of celebrity justice in Califronia. This case, like the cases of O.J. Simpson and Robert Blake before it, shows that is all but impossible to convict an entertainment industry icon in USA.

Jacko Brings War Crimes Suspects Down?

Michael Jackson verdict, whatever it is, might be a very bad news for Ratko Mladić (Ratko Mladic), at least if the speculations about his capture being coordinated with CNN are close to truth.

As long as the jury deliberated, there was very little chance of CNN destroying one breaking news with another.

UPDATE:

I'm guessing the verdict is going to be "guilty", at least on some counts. We'll see in couple of minutes.

What I Think About Deep Throat Outing

I blogged about it in Draxblog 2, and since I hate repeating myself, I thought that it could be better to have my opinion delivered in the movie review you could find here.

War and Peace

Bad things in part of the world tend to escalate in Spring. 2005, despite relatively slow start, wasn’t exception.

It all started with 60th anniversary of victory over fascism. Serbs who like to see Chetnik leader Dragoljub “Draža” Mihailović (Dragoljub “Draza” Mihailovic) as one of unsung heroes of WW2 resistance finally had their day. First Mihailović posthumously received medal from US government, than followers of Mihailović gathered on mass rally at Ravna Gora, sponsored by Serbian government and attended by couple of Western government’s officials.

West of Serbia, where people tend to remember Chetnik atrocities towards Bosniaks, Croats and their co-operation with Germans, Italians and Ustashas, there was significantly less enthusiasm for the whole affair. Croatian President Stjepan Mesić (Stjepan Mesic) postponed state visit to Serbia-Montengro. Prime minister Ivo Sanader, in an attempt to improve his party’s chances at local elections, tried to act tough and hinted at possibility of visas for Serbia-Montenegro citizens visiting Croatia.

Although this symbolic Western rehabilitation of Greater Serbia icon has more to do with upcoming Kosovo negotiations – US and other Western governments are trying to help Serb nationalists digest some bitter pills - than with Bosnia and Croatia, most people in those two countries came to conclusion that the ex-Yugoslav PR balance tilted in Serbian favour.

Insult to injury for Croatian nationalists came with May 15th elections. It appeared that SDSS, Serb ethnic party, had buses of people – exiled during 1995 Operation Storm - coming from Serbia in order to vote. The results were dramatic. In Knin – former Krajina capital - few dozen votes prevented SDSS from forming single-party administration. In nearby Gračac (Gracac) SDSS succeeded in that, reverting a decade of ethnic Croatian rule.

This was too much for some characters. In Karin, municipality where there is a tension between returned Serb refugees and Bosnian Croats – settled by Tudjman after Operation Strom – Dušan Vidić (Dusan Vidic), elderly ethnic Serb and former federal army colonel, had his throat cut. Milorad Pupovac, SDSS leader, characterised this murder as “political” although Vidić himself had not been a refugee, having spent whole war in Zagreb, behind Croatian lines.

Border town of Vukovar recently saw more bombing than any time since the end of 1991 siege. After the bombing of local Serb party offices, two municipal government buildings in nearby Trpinja and Borovo – places where ethnic Serb minorities – were bombed on Sunday morning.

In nearby Bosnia this example was taken by people who were not supposed to have anything to do with Krajina – Croats and Bosniaks. In ethnically divided city of Stolac fans of Zrinski, Croat-dominated Mostar soccer club, were attacked by local Bosniak youths, leading to mass riot and arrival of special police forces.

Interestingly enough, all this didn’t reflect on Eurovision Song Contest, with Croatia and Serbia-Montenegro following the pattern and awarding each other with large number of points. Croatian voters gave 12 to Serbian representatives, while Boris Novković (Boris Novkovic) received 10. Speculations about “Feminnem” – Bosnian female trio made of 2 Bosnian and 1 Croatian Croat – getting 12 points were dashed, although Bosnian voters did their part by giving 12 points to Croatia. Bosnia received 10 points, which left “Feminnem” at 14th place. This led Neda Parmać (Neda Parmac) – the Croatian Croat part of trio - to rant about being let down by her countrymen and expressing the pride in “being Bosnian”.

The Age Without Imagination

Many who heard about the reason for Jack Ryan's dropping out of US Senate race can't cease to wonder about one thing. That man was able to do what many male fans of Star Trek: Voyager could only dream about. But that, apparently, wasn't enough for Jack Ryan. He had to share it with the rest of the world in the most graphic world possible and that wish, although unfulfilled, ultimately led to his downfall.

Jack Ryan is, actually, only the first one of many powerful and successful men who is going to experience similar fate or, at least, same kind of trouble. Development of modern information technology and ability of modern media to satisfy even the most bizarre and the most depraved forms of human curiosity has left nothing to imagination.

John Ford's 1956 classic western The Searchers features the scene during which Ethan, character played by John Wayne, tries to explain what happened to some white women who had been taken as captives during Comanche raid. When finally confronted, he bursts out:

What do you want me to do? Draw you a picture? Spell it out? Don't ever ask me! Long as you live, don't ever ask me more.

In today's world Ethan couldn't enjoy this luxury. Today's media has learned new generations that they shouldn't use imagination. If there is everything someone wants to know, it must be followed by an image, whether this image consists of beheadings or fellatios. In this world Jack Ryans are becoming aware that simply being married or in committed relationship with beautiful woman isn't enough to retain their Alpha Male status. The great unwashed masses are going to start demanding proof that their idols are able to enjoy their privileges. Brouhahas created by Paris Hilton tapes and Severina Affair are only a sign of things to come. In the near future it would be impossible for a rock star or pop princess not to release sex videos.

News, Speed and Integrity

One day in Spring 1996 Večernji list (Vecernji list), daily newspaper from Zagreb, published an article about US Commerce secretary Ron Brown flying to Zagreb from Dubrovnik and meeting with top Croatian officials. The article wasn't different from many boring displays of protocols having a royal treatment in Croatian media during Tudjman's years.

The difference was, however, in article contradicting the issue's front page. Ron Brown and his entourage didn't make it to Zagreb. Their plane crashed into mountain shortly after take-off resulting in the most spectacular such incident in history of modern Croatia. The article in question was later used as one of the more telling examples of media losing its standards under authoritarian governments.

However, such things can happen even in seemingly more enlightened countries of liberal democracy. I was reminded of 1996 anecdote after reading about the way some US networks tried to break news of Martha Stewart's acquittal.