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(E) My letter to IWPR
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6715/1/E-My-letter-to-IWPR.html
By Nenad N. Bach
Published on 03/11/2002
 
 
letters@iwpr.netblock 
 
Date: February 12, 2002 
 
Dear Editor 
 
I was quite appalled by Andrea Feldman's article "Croatia indifferent to Milosevic Trial". 
 
It is hardly surprising that the ICTY is not overly reported in Croatia. After all, the ICTY has spectacularly failed to convict a single person for the mass slaughter of over 15, 000 Croats by Serbs during the 1991-5 Serbian invasion and one third occupation of Croatia . The ICTY seems more occupied with promoting the discredited "all sides equally guilty" theory. 
 
She also seems concerned that the Croatian media is not uncritically putting out material provided by the Tribunal and international organisations. 
 
As a Liberal, Ms Feldman should surely know that the media's job is not to act as an uncritical conduit for any organisation's PR guff, be it from the Tribunal's "outreach" programme or the SENSE agency which claims that its main objective "is to provide to media and public in South East Europe objective, timely and comprehensive information about policies and objectives concerning the region, by main bodies of the international community, such as the European union and its institutions...." . The same international community that once supported Slobodan Milosevic? 
 
It seems to me that - in this regard at least - the Croatian media is doing its public a service by taking something of an independent line. Very much similar with what we enjoy in Western Europe, where the public do not expect its media to parrot any International Community line. 
 
Ms Feldman should grasp that in a democracy, the media can put out what it likes. As a senior member of a party of the ruling coalition it is most unseemly for her to demand what the media should or should not be reporting. Most illiberal. 
 
Indeed, I find it considerably disconcerting that you carry such views. Especially, as given that you are funded by the British government and the European Union, I pay for the IWPR via my taxes. 
 
However, I note that the editor in chief of SENSE is one Mirko Klarin. Could this Mirko Klarin be related in any way to the IWPR's senior editor at the ICTY, also called Mirko Klarin? If so, why was this not mentioned when Ms Feldman criticised Croatian television for not carrying SENSE coverage? 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Brian Gallagher 
 
 
 
Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! 

(E) My letter to IWPR
 
letters@iwpr.netblock 
 
Date: February 12, 2002 
 
Dear Editor 
 
I was quite appalled by Andrea Feldman's article "Croatia indifferent to Milosevic Trial". 
 
It is hardly surprising that the ICTY is not overly reported in Croatia. After all, the ICTY has spectacularly failed to convict a single person for the mass slaughter of over 15, 000 Croats by Serbs during the 1991-5 Serbian invasion and one third occupation of Croatia . The ICTY seems more occupied with promoting the discredited "all sides equally guilty" theory. 
 
She also seems concerned that the Croatian media is not uncritically putting out material provided by the Tribunal and international organisations. 
 
As a Liberal, Ms Feldman should surely know that the media's job is not to act as an uncritical conduit for any organisation's PR guff, be it from the Tribunal's "outreach" programme or the SENSE agency which claims that its main objective "is to provide to media and public in South East Europe objective, timely and comprehensive information about policies and objectives concerning the region, by main bodies of the international community, such as the European union and its institutions...." . The same international community that once supported Slobodan Milosevic? 
 
It seems to me that - in this regard at least - the Croatian media is doing its public a service by taking something of an independent line. Very much similar with what we enjoy in Western Europe, where the public do not expect its media to parrot any International Community line. 
 
Ms Feldman should grasp that in a democracy, the media can put out what it likes. As a senior member of a party of the ruling coalition it is most unseemly for her to demand what the media should or should not be reporting. Most illiberal. 
 
Indeed, I find it considerably disconcerting that you carry such views. Especially, as given that you are funded by the British government and the European Union, I pay for the IWPR via my taxes. 
 
However, I note that the editor in chief of SENSE is one Mirko Klarin. Could this Mirko Klarin be related in any way to the IWPR's senior editor at the ICTY, also called Mirko Klarin? If so, why was this not mentioned when Ms Feldman criticised Croatian television for not carrying SENSE coverage? 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Brian Gallagher 
 
 
 
Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!