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(2014) PRESS COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT

2014 Press Council Annual Report

 

WORK OF THE COMPLAINTS COMMISSION

Between January and December 2014, 80 complaints were submitted to the Press Council, which is slightly more than in the previous year, when the Council received 71 complaints.

Out of the total number of complaints, in 53 cases were filed by individuals, including public figures and government representatives, including the President of Serbia. The media and non-governmental organizations complained 11 times and state authorities and companies twice. In one case, the media itself asked the Commission to determine whether it had violated the Journalist Code. Only four complaints were resolved by  mediation , indicating that newsrooms are still very reluctant to admit mistakes. By the end of the year, the Commission had ruled on 49 complaints, and three complaints from  the end of 2014 were resolved in January 2015. In several cases, the complainants have dropped their complaints, while others were dismissed because they did not meet the formal conditions for consideration, mostly because the complaint was filed by a person who was not personally harmed by the published text. Out of the total number of complaints resolved, the Code violations were identified in 23 cases, out of which eight public warnings were issued to the media which do not accept the full competence of the Press Council. The number of cases found to be in breach of the Code is slightly lower than in the previous year, when such a decision was made in 28 cases.

As many as five times during the year, the Commission failed to agree on a decision, a problem that is likely to be solved by the proposed changes to the Statute of the Press Council, or the Rules of Procedure of the Complaints Commission, which provide for a different decision-making system from the existing one. In two cases, the Commission did not make decisions, but issued a statement on Tanjug’s complaint against several media outlets, and on the complaint of one citizen recommended that the media remove the content in question from online publications, which was accepted by all media outlets.

This year, the media most frequently violated the provisions of the Truthful Reporting section (11 times), mostly items related to the prohibition of publishing unfounded accusations, defamation or rumors, as well as the obligation to distinguish facts from comments, guesses and assumptions. Compared to the previous year, the provisions of the Journalist Code relating to the protection of privacy, journalistic attention and the protection of authorship were less violated, and the number of cases of violation of the presumption of innocence and non-discrimination increased (fivefold). In nine cases it was assessed that the text violated several points of the Code.

 

Some media outlets still do not respect the obligation to publish the decisions of the Commission, so in 2014 this obligation was avoided by “Vecenje Novosti” (twice), “Telegraf.rs”, “Alo” and “Kurir” once, while the editors-in-chief of “Nase novine” and “Informer ” one explicitly declined to publish the decisions. The Informer subsequently exited the self-regulatory system and no longer acknowledges the competence of the Press Council.

In other media, however, it happens sporadically that only short sections of the decision are published, in an inadequate place, or only in the print edition (and not in the online version, which is generally more readable).

This year, for the first time, a session of the Complaints Commission was held outside the premises of the Press Council, so that more than one hundred final year students of journalism at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade on May 29 had the opportunity to attend the session and get acquainted with the work of the Commission, decision making process and members of the Commission.  The Commission, as usual, has considered the complaints received in the last month, and the students, after each decision of the Commission, asked questions and commented.

With the help of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, students from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts shot a short film from the event, which was translated into English, uploaded to the Press Council website, YouTube, and delivered to colleagues from other press councils in Europe.

The Complaints Commission has begun holding regular quarterly press conferences to present the most interesting cases it has considered in the past. Media experts, representatives of media associations and associations, as well as representatives of local non-governmental and international organizations are invited to the gatherings.

COMPLAINTS SUBMITTED FROM JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2014.

 

  1. Tanjug – several media outlets – The commission issued a statement pointing to frequent copyright infringement
  2. Regionalni centar za manjine – Telegraf.rs – code violation (decission not published)
  3. „Bečejskog mozaika“ requested Commission examine its aown article –  no code violation 
  4. Tanjug – Danas –  no code violation 
  5. Zoran Živković – Kurir – code violation (decission not published)
  6. Nikola Vlajnić – Somborske novine –  no code violation 
  7. Biljana Jovković – Svet – complaint rejected – paid content
  8. Dragana Jovanović – Blic – Commission failed to make decission
  9. Dveri – 24 časa – complaint rejected – text not forwarded
  10. Jovica Stević – Pečat – code violation – public warning issued
  11. Benjamin Jusufspahić – Sandžakpress – complaint rejected – text not about complaintant
  12. Vesna Pešić, Nikola Tomić, Vesna Mališić, Tamara Spaić, Branka Mihajlović, Branka Prpa i Vukašin Obradović – Politika –  Commission failed to make decission
  13. Regionalni centar za manjine – Kurir – resolved by mediation
  14. Radenko Maletin – Blic – no code violation
  15. Željko Matorčević – Grocka.info – code violation – public warning issued
  16. Josip Horvat Blaznavac – Pečat – complaint rejected – not about named article
  17. Petrol LPG d.o.o. – Blic – complaint rejected – not clear who is the complainant
  18. Petrol LPG d.o.o. – Večernje novosti – complaint rejected –  not clear who is the complainant
  19. Aleksandar Vukadinović – Tabloid –  code violation – public warning issued
  20. Živojin Cvetković – sajt NUNS-a – complaint rejected – editoril policy issue
  21. Whistleblowers of Special hospital „Sokobanja“ – Politika – code violation
  22. Radisav Erić – Tanjug – Commission advised media to remove articles under question
  23. Radisav Erić –Telegraf.rs – Commission advised media to remove articles under question
  24. Radisav Erić – Šumadijapress- Commission advised media to remove articles under question
  25. Radisav Erić – Kurir – Commission advised media to remove articles under question
  26. Radisav Erić – Blic – Commission advised media to remove articles under question (all media accepted advice)
  27. Željko Stanetić – Vaseljenska TV – complaint rejected – media outlet not under auspicies of Press Council
  28. Bojana Rajić – Frankfurtske vesti – code violation  – public warning issues
  29. Tomislav Nikolić – Alo – no code vilation
  30. Tomislav Nikolić – Blic – no code vilation
  31. Marko Mirković – Teleprompter – complaint rejected – article not about complainant
  32. Marko Mirković – Srbijadanas – complaint rejected – article not about complainant
  33. Željko Matorčević – Grocka info – no code violation
  34. Jelena Stojanović – Blic – no code violation
  35. Anamari Repić, Tatjana Slavić, Aleksandar Bojanić – Tabloid – code violation – public warning  
  36. Gej lezbejski info centar – Naše novine – Commission failed to reach decision
  37. Aleksandar Milovančev – Blic – code violatino
  38. Gej strejt alijansa – Naše novine – code violatino (decission not published)
  39. Ivan Popović – Telegraf.rs – complaint rejected – article not about complainant
  40. Vladimir Rajić (lawyer of parents) – Blic –  Commission failed to reach decision
  41. Aleksandar Maksimović – Glas zapadne Srbije – no code violation
  42. Ivan Živkov – RTV Vojvodine – complaint rejected – media outlet not under auspicies of Press
  43. Dejan Bačić – Novi glas komune –  no code violation
  44. Institut za transfuziju krvi – Alo – Commission failed to reach decision
  45. Ozonpres.net – Glas zapadne Srbije – code violation – public warning  
  46. Borislav Stefanović – Kurir – code violation
  47. Borislav Stefanović – Alo – code violation
  48. Aleksandra Barton – Politika – complaint rejected – Commission already decided on subject article
  49. Aleksandra Barton – Kurir – code violation
  50. Aleksandra Barton – Narodne novine – complaint rejected – 90 day deadline not respected
  51. Aleksandra Barton – Večernje novosti – code violation (media outlet did not publish decision)
  52. Glas zapadne Srbije – Ozonpres.net – no code violation
  53. Milan Cvetićanin – Alo – code violatino
  54. Glas zapadne Srbije – Ozonpres.net – complaint rejected – compaintant not personaly involved
  55. Aleksandra Barton – Alo – code violation
  56. Glas zapadne Srbije – Ozonpres.net – no code violation
  57. Aleksandra Barton – Blic – complaint rejected – 90 day deadline not respected
  58. Gordana Perunović Fijat – Nove kikindske novine – mediation
  59. Praxis – Telegraf.rs – code violation
  60. Praxis – Informer – prihvaćena žalba – code violation  (decission not published)
  61. Andreja Nedeljković – Kurir – complaint rejected – compaintant not personaly involved
  62. Luka Božović – Kurir – no code violation
  63. YUCOM –Blic – code violation
  64. Miroslav Bojčić – Blic – no code violation
  65. Miroslav Bojčić – Kurir – no code violation
  66. Miroslav Bojčić – Večernje novosti –  no code violation
  67. Miroslav Bojčić – Danas – no code violation
  68. Dina Stefanović – Telegraf.rs – complaint rejected – compaintant not personaly involved
  69. Regionalni centar za manjine – Informer – complaint rejected – compaintant not personaly involved
  70. Regionalni centar za manjine – Večernje novosti – code violation  (media outlet did not publish decision)
  71. Kurir – Vrreme – no code violation
  72. Miodrag Jaćimović – Glas zapadne Srbije – code violation – public warning
  73. Protestantsko – evanđeosko udruženje – Telegraf.rs – mediation
  74. Ministarstvo kulture – Kurir – code violation
  75. Beba Kinački – Kurir – Commission failed to reach decision
  76. Lepomir Bakić – Alo – code violation  (media outlet did not publish decision)
  77. Incijativa mladih za ljudska prava – Sandžakpres – complaint rejected – compaintant not personaly involved
  78. Marija Brusin  – Teleprompter – code violation – public warning
  79. Ištvan Kaić – Politika – complaint rejected – does not pertain to media content
  80. Marija Maja Nikolić – Blic – no code violation

 

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Legal Leaks Workshop

The Press Council successfully implemented a two-day “Legal leaks” news workshop, with about thirty journalists from all over Serbia. The workshop, held on June 16 and 17 at the Press Center of the Association of Journalists of Serbia, was organized in cooperation with the European Commission, UNESCO and Access Info Europe and SEENPM. More than 30 journalists from all over Serbia spoke with domestic and foreign experts about the practice of implementing the Law on free access to information in Serbia, how the media can obtain data from the European Union, how to use open databases, and how to the obtained information is to be presented in compliance with ethical, professional standards prescribed by the Serbian Journalist’s Code of Ethics . All workshop participants received a Legal Leaks manual in Serbian, which provides detailed instructions on how to apply for access to information in more than 40 countries.

Council of Europe trainings

Representatives of the  Complaints Commission were lecturers at training sessions for journalists, organized by the Council of Europe, entitled “Freedom of Expression and the Right to Privacy”. Four training sessions were held during April, May and October 2014 in Zlatibor, Niš, Novi Sad and Vrdnik, with between 20 and 30 journalists participated.

Meetings with NGO representatives

In June 2014, the Press Council, in cooperation with NUNS, organized three roundtables in Belgrade, Niš and Novi Sad on the role and manner of work of the Council, as well as how civil society organizations can use it to appeal. To the Council. During the same month, four informal meetings were organized with representatives of non-governmental organizations.

Printing of the Journalist’s Code of Ethics

In 2013, the journalists associations supplemented the Code with the provisions on the Prevention of Corruption and Conflict of Interest, and the Press Council, with the financial assistance of the Council of Europe, printed a new edition of the Code, supplemented by examples from the practice of the Complaints Commission. The Code was distributed to journalists from all over Serbia.

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES

The members of the Press Council’s Complaints Commission visited Berlin on May 18-20 to study the German Press Council to learn about the experience of the self-regulatory body, which has been successfully operating for 58 years and receives between 1300 and 1500 complaints annually. Representatives of the Complaints Commission also visited the daily Beriner Zeitung, as well as the Zeit – online portal, with their editors discussing journalistic ethics and cooperation with the self – regulatory body. The visit was organized by the Council of Europe office in Belgrade.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the regional media self-regulation conference held in Pristina on March 24 and 25, creating the Network of Self-Regulatory Bodies of Southeast Europe (Media NEThics), which will serve as a basis for regional cooperation and exchange of experience in order to improve quality and professional media and ethical journalism in these countries, and to enable the press councils in the region to compete for donor funding through joint projects. The meeting was organized by the Council of Europe.

Representatives of the Press Council participated in the workshop “Press Council and Specific Cases of Violations of the Code of Ethics”, held on November 24, 2014 in Skopje. Together with colleagues from the Press Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, they shared their experiences with colleagues from Macedonia, which established the Media Ethics Council at the end of the year. The information gained during this event will help them in future decision-making about complex cases of breaches of ethical standards in media reporting.

Council representative participated in the annual assembly of the Alliance of Independent Press Councils of Europe (AIPCE), of which the Council is a member, held in early October in Brussels.