02. 08. 2005

KURIR AND NEWSPAPERS

Let us start with facts – after analysis of last month's reports in the local press, we have highlighted 133 articles from all daily newspapers in Belgrade. Taking into account the methodology used in the research, out of eighteen categories of professional and ethical codes, most violated were the ones relating to publication of groundless charges, libels, rumors and gossip, as well as publication of bogus letters or letters whose authors were unknown. Here is an example... -Serbian `Nacional` May 17, unsigned piece about the sale of C MARKET company: `According to anonymous information delivered to Nacional's journalists, Croatian and Slovenian companies have hired a group of western experts to investigate the psychological profile of Serbian consumers... However, the research could not escape the fact that Serbs have not yet forgotten atrocities committed by the notorious paramilitary formation 'Moric' in Slovenia... Products coming from any other country will always be more popular than those made by Ustaše and Janezi.` The last sentence is important because it completely degrades a principle that – among other things – journalism should be indifferent to any ethnic discrimination. What should also be noted is the resurrection of two labels, Ustaše and Janezi, which were used during the worst period of recent political history when the political elite at the time not only supported, but created a language of ethnic intolerance and even hatred. This story about anonymous letters is only an introduction to a wider account of the co-called `DINKIC Report` which has been prepared – allegedly – by the secret service. This `grand discovery` has been published in `Kurir`. I will quote a passage from the first article published on May 20: -`Although it is clearly stated that this document is 'top secret', Kurir has decided to publish this report regardless of possible consequences, because the public has the right to know how the leading officials in our country truly acted and how the state has been functioning. It is still unclear why, if the government has been aware of this information, no criminal charges were brought against Dinkic. It is also true that most of the reports of any secret service are written in line with the principle 'a bit of untruth, a piece of half-truth and enough truth'. We therefore leave to our readers to come to their own conclusions.` First of all, in its introductory piece `Kurir` itself doubts the truthfulness of the story it is going to publish – 'a bit of untruth, a piece of half-truth and enough truth'. Secondly, by publishing this series the newspaper violated two fundamental journalistic principles – first, `that journalists have to hear both sides and publish their viewpoints`, and second, `that at least two sources should confirm the information before it is published`. Namely, during this campaign we've been presented with the fact that the ministry of internal affairs officially denied that Dinkic has been investigated! Still, the series of articles continues, at first without slightest pretences of interviewing both sides. After that, `Kurir` broke the law because Mladjan DINKIC's denial of the story has not been published according to the rule of `publishing at the same place and to the same extent`. This case will probably end up in court, but it is very interesting that other newspapers jumped at the story and published their own articles, editorials, comments and statements made by other politicians and public figures. It is also worth mentioning that an article appeared in `Glas javnosti` claiming that the `DINKIC Report` is a forgery, which created a split personality syndrome because both newspapers are owned by the same person! Additionally, Kurir's story about the National Bank Governor Radovan Jelasic is very similar to the already mentioned articles. Initial piece was published on May 14 under the heading `Jelasic bought a villa at Dedinje`... The story mentions that `the governor, according to Kurir's sources, has just bought the villa for the price of 1.5 million euros`. After that, the affair drags on... with headings like: `Speak up, Governor` and a subheading – `Radovan Jelasic Still Refuses to Explain How He Bought a Villa at Dedinje for 1.5 Million Euros`. Then, notwithstanding the denials, the harangue continues with some insane twists, because in the first article the newspaper published a sidebar with an information from the Public Information Commissioner Rodoljub Sabic who explained that `National Bank Governor Radovan Jelasic was under no obligation to explain to the media and the Serbian public where he got the money from`. And if you believed that it was a good enough reason for `Kurir` to stop the campaign, you were wrong! New headings follow - `Jelasic, Explain This!`, `Where Has the Money Come From?` or `Jelasic, Where Did you Get the Money?` After all of this, the newspaper published the following: `The information (i.e. the information submitted to the Board regarding the personal property of state officials) can be published only if the official in question gives his permission. The Press Service of the National Bank of Serbia announced that the Governor Jelasic fulfilled his obligations for the time being and reported his property to the Board. It is, however not clear at this moment if he bought the villa before or after the application deadline and if he mentioned it in his property list.` In a word, the author of this piece has not only violated the principle of reporting both sides' viewpoints, but also the ethical rule proclaiming that `journalism must not fall into a trap of sensationalism, unfounded charges, libels, rumours and gossip`. Almost identical is the story about the Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus who, allegedly, took bribe from ERICSSON. Just like in the DINKIC and JELASIC affairs, the same journalistic principles were abused, with the addition of the rules that `facts and commentary must be clearly separated` and that `interpretation and evaluation of the facts, events and phenomena requires impartial and fair commentary`. Namely, after Miroljub LABUS's press conference the heading read - `Dumb`. The source of this story has been mentioned, but it is a common practice for newspapers to omit to mention the source or present the information from another source as its own. On May 17, the subheading reads: `Blic unofficially discovered that the founder of the 'Lupus Group' is Aleksandra Ivanovic, while the director is the former Ulemek's bodyguard Vukasin Vule Vukasinovic. They have funded the publication of Legija's novel, provided security services to a foreign bank and secured the support of a certain high-ranking official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs...` It is never mentioned that the information has been taken over from B92! It has also been demonstrated that – beside publishing unfounded charges, libels, rumours and gossip – newspapers may abuse the principle that journalist must `show respect for dignity and integrity of persons he writes about`. The case in point – several newspapers published a story of a general medical check-up in the ECIM clinic. First the story in `Glas javnosti` appeared - `ECIM Clinic Closed for Paedophilia`. Then other newspapers jumped in and the whole range of articles has been published with headings like `Alarming photographs` and a subheading - `Clinic shut down because of utilization of unauthorized medical practices, but we have unofficially discovered that compromising photographs from a medical check-up of schoolchildren have been found in clinic computers`. Also, the articles reported on school meetings, fights between parents and doctors, conversations with the parents and even added an inflammatory `political dimension` with charges against the Minister of Education VUKSANOVIC who allegedly approved the use of `a new method in medical examination of children`. Except the already mentioned violation of `human dignity and integrity`, another rule has been broken which says that `a journalist must not take advantage of and abuse human emotions... and must respect a person's privacy while reporting on disasters, accidents, suffering and pain, children, minors, disease, family tragedies` and so on. I have asked Ivana STEVANOVIC to comment on the examples of abuse of children's rights. She works for the Institute for Criminological Research in Belgrade and the Child Rights Centre. Belgrade June 6, 2005.