Report from a Press Council Debate
The debate “Should a journalist have a political stance?”, organized by the Press Council, was held yesterday at the UNS Press Center, with the participation of journalists and editors. The discussion focused on how journalists’ public expression of political stances affects the public’s trust in their work and the media they work for, as well as the expression of political opinions on private accounts on social networks. One of the topics was the need to develop internal editorial guidelines that would regulate these issues.
Olivera Milošević, a member of the Complaints Commission of the Press Council and Vice President of the UNS, who provided the framework for the discussion, pointed out the need to distinguish between personal political stance, public political expression and political action, such as party engagement or participation in a campaign. “It is important to make a distinction between personal commentary, or stance, and cheering or openly advocating for a political option,” said Milošević. She pointed out that the key question is not whether a journalist is allowed to have political beliefs, but what happens when they become publicly visible and begin to influence his professional work or create doubts among the public about his impartiality.