Help Launched For Serbian Media in Flood Zone

"Come on media and colleagues, let's show journalistic solidarity!" Vukasin Obradovic, head of the Serbian journalists association, NUNS, said, calling on media professionals to help colleagues in flood-hit areas.

NUNS appealed to all media outlets and their employees, and especially its own members, to contribute to help journalists and the media on NUNS account number 160-322767-29 (Banca Intesa); purpose: Help for victims of the floods.

NUNS is currently collecting information about colleagues who live and work in the towns of Krupanj, Ub, Ljubovija, Obrenovac and other places worst hit by floods.

All information on journalists in trouble should be sent to the email nuns@nuns.rs or by phone: +381 11 33 43 892 and +381 11 33 43 255 or + 381 66 88 22 006.

NUNS has also asked the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists, IFJ, to launch a worldwide media solidarity action with Serbia.

The Serbian Broadcasting Agency, RRA, has meantime asked the government to exempt broadcasters in the flood-hit areas from fees.

This would mean that 85 local and regional broadcasters would be exempt from paying fees for a year.

The RRA expressed hope in a statement that Agency for Electronic Communications and organizations for collective management of copyright and related rights (OFPS, SOKOJ and PI) would do the same.

So far, 29 people have reportedly lost their lives in the floods in Serbia while over 30,000 have been evacuated.

The authorities say it is the worst rain to hit Serbia in well over a century. Last Wednesday, as much rain fell in one day as usually falls in a month.