On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection Milan Marinović gives the following statement:

"In times such as today’s, which are interwoven with various conflicting interests, true, accurate, and timely information represents one of the greatest values. That is why the role of journalists and the media is becoming more and more important every day. Unfortunately, there is a phenomenon that the freedom of the media is not respected to the necessary extent, which has a negative impact on the citizens being properly informed. That is why it is necessary to work every day on strengthening the freedom of media so that journalists can perform their important duty in accordance with the high standards of their profession.

On the other hand, it must be emphasized that, unfortunately, the media do not behave professionally and impartially enough in all situations, which negatively affects both the public being objectively informed and the perception of citizens about the overall importance of the media’s role in society.

The Commissioner reminds us that free media are a prerequisite for a free society and that free journalists, who safely and with dignity perform their profession, are a condition for achieving media freedom and informing citizens about all events and phenomena of public importance.

At the same time, the Commissioner highlights the need to protect privacy and personal data when informing the public and extends his thanks to all the media for respecting these citizens' rights in their work hitherto."