Complaints Commission of the Press Council: Media Violated All Professional Standards in Reporting on the Disappearance and Murder of a Two-Year-Old Girl from Bor

(Source: NUNS) The Complaints Commission of the Press Council, at a session held yesterday at the Press Center of the Association of Journalists of Serbia, decided that the print media outlets Alo, Kurir, Informer, and Blic, as well as their online portals, violated the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics. Additionally, the portals Republika, Telegraf, and K1 info were also found to have violated the Code.

In the recent period, the Press Council received three complaints. The first was against the publication Alo, the second against the newspaper and portal Kurir, and the third against 11 media outlets that reported on the disappearance and murder of the two-year-old girl D.I. from Bor.

Justifying Police Brutality with Accusations Against the Victims

The first complaint discussed by the Complaints Commission was filed by the organization “Da se zna” against the portal Alo.rs over an article titled “WE REVEAL! LGBT ASSOCIATION ‘DA SE ZNA’ SELLS DRUGS IN THEIR OFFICES. Their fight for gay rights is a front for drug dealing!” published on March 10 this year, claiming that the organization was involved in drug trafficking.

As stated in the complaint, Alo “tendentiously accuses the organization ‘Da se zna’ of drug dealing without providing any evidence for such claims,” aiming to undermine the reputation and credibility of the organization.

The complainants also argued that the presumption of innocence was violated and that no sources of information were cited in the article.

In response to the complaint, Viktor Petrović, the responsible editor of Alo, claimed that there was nothing objectionable in the article.

“We presented the findings of our editorial team, which were provided by a source close to the organization ‘Da se zna,’ whose words are cited in the article. The source claimed that the two individuals complaining about police brutality were involved in drug trafficking and that drugs were found during a search of their apartment,” stated the response.

Petrović also mentioned that a police statement indicated that the prosecutor’s office requested charges for unauthorized possession of narcotics against the two individuals, which he saw as proof of the drug dealing allegations.

Tamara Skrozza from the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia initiated the discussion on this article. She stated that journalists could not conclude from the police statement that drug dealing was involved.

“Even the police did not claim that. If they relied on the police statement, they should not have made such serious accusations,” Skrozza noted.

Filip Švarm from the Media Association commented on the police action.

“It was indeed a brutal action. I see this statement as an attempt to cover it up. There was an intention to criminalize these people. They should not have claimed it was a drug dealing point,” Švarm said.

Rodoljub Šabić, a public representative, agreed with them.

“The statement does not mention that the organization was involved in drug dealing… The article has no connection with the police statement,” he said.

After a brief discussion, the Complaints Commission members unanimously decided that Alo violated the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics in the provisions regarding truthful reporting, presenting unfounded accusations without consulting multiple sources, and violating the presumption of innocence.

It Is Not in the Public Interest to Know Details of a Brutal Murder

Milena Vasić, a member of the Complaints Commission, filed a complaint against the daily newspaper and portal Kurir over an article titled “THIS IS THE MAN WHO WAS SAVAGELY KILLED IN PRISON: Cellmates Forced Him to Drink Urine, Raped Him with a Broom, and Broke His Ribs (PHOTO)” published on March 20 on Kurir’s portal and articles “Old Man in Prison Forced to Drink Urine and Raped to Death by Three Cellmates Convicted of Misdemeanors!” and “Pensioner Raped to Death in Cell, Now Blaming Each Other!” published on March 21 and 22 in the print edition.

The articles reported on the brutal murder that occurred in Padinska Skela prison, detailing the torture the victim endured, as stated in the complaint.

“The content published in all three articles about the sexual abuse suffered by S.B. in prison, the publication of his full name and surname, as well as a photo from his Facebook profile, are the grossest violations of the right to privacy and dignity, especially given that the abused person is deceased and cannot protect their privacy,” Vasić stated in the complaint.

She also emphasized that “the published content can be extremely disturbing to the victim’s family and the public, as it concerns exceptionally brutal abuse.”

Kurir responded that the complaint was entirely unfounded, arguing that they acted in accordance with the Code and the Law on Public Information and Media.

“It is in the public interest to report on the tragic event that occurred in a ‘correctional facility under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice,’ and that the authors acted with due journalistic and professional care, not withholding any facts.”

Kurir provided a statement from the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade, cited in the articles, asserting that journalistic responsibility and the right to privacy were not violated.

Tamara Skrozza first spoke on this case.

“If asked why the Code exists, I would point to articles like these. The response from the lawyer shows they do not understand the Code and media ethics,” she said.

Rodoljub Šabić noted that the only accurate part of Kurir’s articles was quoting the prosecutor’s statement.

“I am shocked that such details were described in the prosecutor’s statement. Saying someone was sexually abused is enough; detailed descriptions are unnecessary. Even the Prosecutors’ Association reacted to this statement,” Šabić mentioned.

Public representative Sanja Pavlović stated that Kurir’s reporting on this case was not in the public interest.

“We need to highlight why this is not in the public interest. We become desensitized, and if violence is not brutal and savage, it is not considered violence,” Pavlović remarked.

The Complaints Commission unanimously decided that Kurir violated the provisions regarding the right to privacy, the publication of disturbing content, and the obligation to respect the rights of the victim, using honorable means, and the presumption of innocence.

All Media Outlets Reporting on the Disappearance and Death of a Two-Year-Old Girl Violated the Code

The organization “Friends of Children of Serbia” filed complaints against several media outlets for their reporting on the disappearance and death of the two-year-old girl D.I. from Bor. According to Gordana Novaković, the general secretary of the Press Council, some media outlets removed articles from their portals and issued apologies after the Council requested responses to the complaints. Complaints remained against the daily newspapers and portals Informer, Kurir, Blic, Alo, and the portals Republika.rs, Telegraf.rs, and K1 info.

The complaints stated that these media outlets “committed extreme secondary victimization of the child victim and the entire family, showed complete disrespect for the victim and her family, published numerous brutal lies and half-truths about the child’s disappearance and death, unjustifiably targeted family members as culprits, fabricated false statements about the investigation, and disturbed the public with statements from incompetent and irrelevant sources and pseudo-experts.” It was also emphasized that the exploitation of this case continued even after the complaint was filed.

Kurir responded that the complaint was unfounded, arguing that the topic was of great public interest and that “the reported information was true and widely known.” They also cited the Law on Public Information and Media, which states that journalists are not obliged to disclose their sources.

Viktor Petrović, the responsible editor of Alo, stated in response to the complaint that their editorial team adhered to all legal and moral norms.

“During on-site reporting, we used only data from official sources, namely statements from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor’s Office. Our reporters conveyed the atmosphere from Banjsko Polje, where the child disappeared, and Bor, describing police actions and other routine journalistic tasks,” the response stated. He added that information from sources close to the investigation was published cautiously.

Igor Ćuzović, executive director and editor-in-chief of Telegraf, responded on behalf of his portal’s editorial team. He stated that Telegraf journalists aimed to contribute to the search and reported without “sensationalist articles, unverified information, and speculation, with due respect to all involved in this story.” He also denied any breach of the Code.

Informer, Blic, Republika, and K1 did not respond to the complaints.

The Commission conducted a joint discussion on this case.

Jelka Jovanović from the Media Association stated that such topics are particularly sensitive and challenging to report on.

“It is especially tragic when it involves a child. It is extremely difficult to report on this and gauge whether one is crossing the line. Generally, all media in this case violated the Code and the norms of good reporting, partly due to the unavailability of official sources. All of it is distasteful, especially the way the family was dragged through the mud,” Jovanović said.

Rodoljub Šabić stated that all reports and comments on this case were merely speculations, with no one knowing anything, yet everyone writing about everything.

“My problem here, from the standpoint of precisely defining our decision, is that the articles are different and not all provisions of the Code were violated in all articles, but I have no doubt that the Code was brutally trampled in every article,” Šabić said.

Chairwoman of the Commission Jelena Petković added that the Code was violated in every sense.

“From fabrications, lies, half-truths, false information, embellishments… and then there’s the part that’s not immediately noticeable, where something is implied but not directly stated. This manipulation and misuse of information is very difficult to define through the Code,” she said.

Representative of Lokal Press Nadežda Budimović stated that while not all articles are the same, they share a common lack of good taste, which is not explicitly formulated in the ethical code.

“But there is one provision, which is due journalistic diligence, and I believe all these articles have an issue with that. What concerns me about these articles is the multiple abuses they demonstrate, showing to what extent Amber Alerts can be misused,” Budimović said, adding that in all the cases reviewed by the Commission, public interest was misused.

She highlighted that it was symptomatic how many people and experts of various profiles were ready to speculate and guess, and whom the media presented as relevant interlocutors.

The Commission unanimously decided that all media outlets reporting on this event violated provisions related to truthful reporting and the obligation of journalists to report with due diligence.

Additionally, it was decided that Informer, in several articles, violated provisions regarding the right to privacy, journalists’ responsibility, and the relationship with information sources.

Serbian Telegraph also violated provisions on journalists’ responsibility, namely, respecting the dignity of the individuals reported on and the right to privacy. The same violations were made by the Serbian Telegraph’s website Republika, with the addition that one article’s headline did not correspond to the content of the article.

Alo committed the same violations as Informer and Serbian Telegraph.

The K1 info portal violated provisions related to independence from pressure and the right to privacy, while Kurir violated the right to privacy and provisions on journalists’ responsibility.