Press Council: Portals N1, Nova, Blic, Alo, Informer, Kurir and Mondo Violated theCode

(Source: NUNS) The N1, Nova, Blic, Alo, Informer, Kurir and Mondo portals violated the Code of Journalists of Serbia, the Press Council Complaints Commission decided at yesterday’s session held at the Press Center of the Association of Journalists of Serbia.

The Commission first considered complaints filed by Stevan Simijanović against the N1, Nova,
Blic, Alo and Informer portals over reports stating that “fake diplomat Stevan Stiv Simijanović” had been arrested in Italy, based on a warrant issued for him by the Montenegrin police.

The disputed articles also stated that Simijanović had been detained in Nikšić in 2021 on suspicion of using a forged diplomatic passport of the United States, and that, following the change of government in Montenegro in 2020, he had stayed in the country falsely presenting himself as an American diplomat.

Simijanović stated in his complaints that the media used the characterization “fake diplomat” alongside his full name, without verifying the claims and without publishing his statement. He also pointed out that none of the editorial offices had published the rebuttal he sent them, and that the Nova, Alo and Informer portals had published a photograph from his identity card. He
requested that the photograph and what he described as unsubstantiated claims
be removed, but none of the media outlets did so.

He also claimed that the media had not published complete information, stating that
the Italian authorities had rejected Montenegro’s request for his extradition,
assessing the case as politically motivated, and that the U.S. Department of
Justice, in an official communication, had been unable to confirm claims
concerning the alleged forged documents.

During the discussion, Complaints Commission member Jelka Jovanović said that even media
outlets that describe themselves as professional often violate the presumption of innocence.

“And everyone, even those accused of the most serious offenses, has the right, until they are convicted, to treatment that does not violate their presumption of innocence,” Jovanović said.

Milena Vasić agreed that the presumption of innocence had been violated in this case,
emphasizing that the damage to the person being reported on could be extremely
great.

“When the media violate the presumption of innocence, you no longer have the right to a fair trial, and the damage is truly enormous. This is the least oppressive way, in relation to the media, to correct that damage, and I really do not understand why this rebuttal was not published,” Vasić said.

She added that respecting the presumption of innocence is straightforward if the media refrain from sensationalist formulations.

“It is very easy to respect the presumption of innocence. You simply do not put a bombastic headline and say ‘he is accused of’. You just should not use these terms as though they have already been established. Many media outlets know this, but deliberately violate the presumption of innocence because it is clickable,” Vasić explained.

Speaking about the publication of a photograph from an identity document, Vasić said
that such a practice was unacceptable.

The Complaints Commission unanimously decided that all the portals against which Simijanović
had filed complaints had violated provisions of the Code concerning journalists’ responsibility, specifically respect for the presumption of innocence and the right of reply. The Alo, Informer and Nova portals also violated the chapter of the Code concerning respect for privacy.

Publishing Identities in the Media Can Cause Immeasurable Harm

The Commission then considered complaints filed by Tanja and Jovo Savić on behalf of Radomir Savić against the Kurir, Informer, Blic and Mondo portals. The complaints concerned articles in which the media published Radomir Savić’s identity as a murder suspect, as well as his photograph.

The complaints stated that by publishing information that Savić had committed a serious murder, along with details about how the crime had been carried out, the media had already passed judgment that he was the direct perpetrator of the crime. It was also emphasized that this endangered his safety as well as the safety of his family, which was under significant pressure.

A rebuttal was sent to all the media outlets, but according to the complaints, it was not
published.

Mondo Ink, the publisher of Kurir and the Mondo portal, rejected the claims in its response, stating that the media had relied on a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which said there were grounds for suspicion that Radomir Savić had committed a serious murder.

Milena Vasić assessed that, in this case, some of the information had been reported in accordance with the principle of the presumption of innocence, but that the headlines were problematic.

“Blic used the headline ‘From Respected Police Officer to Executioner,’ so it really cannot be said that this respected the presumption of innocence,” Vasić said.

She warned that the consequences of such reporting can be permanent.

“There have been cases where this happened to someone and they were subsequently acquitted,
but when so many media outlets report that you did something, you will be labeled a murderer forever,” she added.

The Complaints Commission unanimously decided that all the media outlets had violated the
provisions of the Code concerning respect for privacy, according to which, even when competent state authorities publish information that falls within the sphere of the privacy of perpetrators or victims, the media may not automatically republish that information.

In addition, the Commission decided that Blic and Kurir had also violated the chapter of the Code concerning journalists’ responsibility, specifically respect for the presumption of innocence.