"The message of today's rally is 'Journalists, wake up', we are the conscience of this society and we shape public opinion both through public and private media which should serve the common good," HND president Zdenko Duka told some 30 journalists who rallied outside the HND offices.

He underlined the need to promote democratic values, less sensationalism and more journalism as a public good.

Speaking of the status of journalists in Croatia, he said that it was not good, that their jobs were uncertain, that their salaries were being reduced and they were being laid off.

That situation is partly to blame on journalists themselves, he said, adding that journalism in Croatia was still not free from political influence, that most media content depended on media owners who often collaborated with politicians and advertisers in their own interests.

Speaking of public media services, Duka said that Croatia needed good public media, reliable and professional public television and radio and a multimedia and professional Hina, while privately owned media like Jutarnji List, Vecernji List and Novi List should be the conscience of society.

"In order to achieve that, we must cooperate and settle the issue of collective agreements and professional matters."

Among those attending the rally were also some of the workers of Vjesnik daily, and their representative Marijana Matkovic recalled that despite the fact that since April 21 the daily was no longer printed, they would keep its on-line edition and do their best to prevent its closure, as well as request the government to restructure the paper.

Also today, Croatian Television reporter Josip Saric was named by the HND Journalist of the Year for 2011 for his reporting from the war-struck Libya, Greece and his documentaries from North Korea.