23. 11. 2007

INADMISSABLE PRESSURES ON MEDIA BY PRIMITIVE INSULTS TO FEMALE JOURNALISTS

BELGRADE, November 23, 2007 – Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) is joining all parties that have already condemned the verbal assaults and insults that Petar Lukovic wrote on account of journalists, associates and employees of B92, an ANEM member station.

In the text he wrote for Croatian weekly "Feral tribjun", which is also published on the Liberal Democratic Party Internet presentation, Petar Lukovic expounded frenzied insults for Olja Beckovic, author and editor of the "Utisak nedelje" ("Impression of the Week") programme, and for Danica Vucenic, editor of the "Kaziprst" ("Index Finger") programme on Radio B92.

Lukovic verbally abused the two journalists apparently provoked by the questions that they posed to LDP's President, Cedomir Jovanovic, in their respective programmes. He chose to use qualifications ranging from most primitive personal insults and make medical diagnosis, all the way to unbelievable accusations of supporting fascism.

ANEM would like to underline the fact that publishing such a text on the Internet presentation of the Liberal Democratic Party can hardly be interpreted in any other way but as a form of pressure exerted by this political party on media and also as an invitation to lynch journalists who do their job in a professional and principled manner. ANEM insists that such practices should be abandoned.

ANEM emphasizes that professional qualities and skills of the journalists that Lukovic insulted have already been proven by rewards and prizes that they were awarded, as well as by the high quality of the programmes that they are making, and in the case of Danica Vucenic, by the number of young journalists in media across Serbia which she taught in the training programmes that were organized by ANEM.

ANEM is thus demonstrating its solidarity with Olja Beckovic, Danica Vucenic and all the other people who have been verbally attacked, insulted and subjected to all sorts of pressures because of their professionalism.

Sasa Mirkovic,

ANEM President