OSCE: Journalists' access to public institutions is a key component of media freedom

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo stated that media access to public institutions is a key component of media freedom and access to information, responding to a question from Kosovo Online regarding the Assembly of Kosovo's decision to deny several Serbian-language media outlets, including Kosovo Online, access to today's constitutive session, despite the fact that all accreditation documentation had been submitted properly and on time.

"The OSCE Mission in Kosovo emphasizes the importance of timely and transparent accreditation procedures to enable journalists to carry out their work effectively in the public interest. Media access to public institutions is a key component of media freedom and access to information," the Mission said in a comment provided to Kosovo Online.

Earlier today, the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), together with its branch in Kosovo, protested the Assembly of Kosovo's decision to deny several media outlets access to the constitutive session.
Kosovo Deputy Ombudsperson Srdjan Sentic stated that the competent authorities should ensure that accreditation procedures are based on clear, objective, and non-discriminatory criteria.

The President of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo and Metohija (DNKiM), Ivana Vanovac, also described the denial of accreditation to Kosovo Online and RTS for coverage of the Assembly's constitutive session as unacceptable, assessing that Kosovo's institutions display a dismissive attitude toward media outlets reporting in the Serbian language.