16. 03. 2004

Media More Concerned With Indictees That Victims

VUKOVAR, March 16, 2004 – In the former Yugoslavia, media report most on indictments from the Hague tribunal, and least on the victims of war crimes, a two-day seminar in Vukovar concluded at the weekend. SENSE editor in chief Mirko Klarin said that journalists in The Hague feel a “fascination” towards indictees, and neglect the victims. “The media interest in trials mainly revolves around the appearance of the indictees in court, the start of the trial, while professionally the most interesting is in fact the confirmation of facts, the appearance of the survivors and their dramatic testimony, the results of exhumations etc.” Klarin also spoke of a “court tourism”, by which journalists come to The Hague for a day or two, during which they go shopping, come back to the office and “free Milosevic of the genocide charge.”