The media can play a significant role in helping the state preserve the environment. This was the message conveyed during the panel “The Role of the Media in the Fight for the Environment” held within the conference, marking the launch of the National Environmental Campaign Čuvaj da te čuva.
Marijana Bojanić, Executive Director of Vijesti, stated that people in Montenegro are interested in environmental topics and that it is necessary to find the proper channels to reach those citizens.
“Institutions need to approach the media more often with service-related information, such as where to report the problem and what happens after such a report,” stated Bojanić.
She noted that Vijesti gladly agreed to distribute and promote a small dictionary of ecology and environmental protection.
Boris Raonić, Director General of Radio Television of Montenegro, stated that providing information is a priority. He praised the example set by Vijesti, which distributed a dictionary of ecology and environmental protection along with their daily newspaper. According to him, this is an excellent way to raise awareness and educate citizens about environmental issues through simple and accessible means.
“Promotion during the campaign against plastic bags and informing citizens in general are some of the ways in which we as companies can contribute to this issue,” stated Raonić.
He emphasised that for the past four years, the public broadcaster has been implementing numerous initiatives aimed at showing how everyone – society, citizens, individuals and businesses – should act.
Executive Director of Television E, Sonja Drobac, stated that citizens are right when they say they are not sufficiently informed. However, she added that when the media do cover environmental topics, these stories often attract less attention than daily political disputes, celebrity news, and similar content.
She highlighted the role of the media in informing but also added that simply informing in today’s world is no longer enough.
“Today, we know how to connect the dots – causes, consequences, and context – and to present them in a way that is engaging in order to reach people. We must reach them by bypassing algorithms,” stated Drobac.
Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Dan, Mili Prelević, stated that research conducted by Damar showed that just under 29 % of respondents consider themselves well or very well informed about environmental protection. This indicates that the media haven’t done their job properly.
He believes that the media must play a role both at the beginning and throughout the entire campaign. He added that the media should actively contribute by making changes to the way they report on environmental issues.
“I believe that if the state gets involved as promised today, as the Prime Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister and ministers promised, we will be of great help,” stated Prelević. He added that it would also be helpful to publish the names of those responsible for environmental incidents.
Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief of Pobjeda, Nenad Zečević, stated that the outlet daily dedicates a whole page to ecology and employs a specialist columnist covering environmental issues, Chapter 27, and climate change.
“We have reported extensively on all ecological incidents in Montenegro, including the one involving infected cows. We went as far as photographing and reporting on the burial of those cows, which we believe was not done in accordance with standards,” stated Zečević.