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The film "Beating in the Name of the People" by Jelena Zorić and Nemanja Babić, produced by BIRN

Author: Veran Matić

On this day, 24 years ago, Milan Pantić, a correspondent for Večernje Novosti from Jagodina, was murdered, and no one has been held accountable for his death. Today, a memorial was held in Jagodina, and wreaths were laid in front of his bust and at the entrance of the building where he was killed. An award for journalistic courage was also presented to Ruža Helać, the editor of the documentary TV series "Green Patrol at Work." The impunity for murders and attacks on journalists once again raises the issue of the status and safety of journalists and the right to free information. Veran Matić, the president of the Commission for the Investigation of Murders of Journalists, stated during his guest appearance on the program 3D that it is very important to hold commemorations and that journalists must not be forgotten.

"Let us not mock honor and courage and then be surprised that traitors walk among us." - C. S. Lewis

"The bread that Milan Pantić was holding in his hand when he was killed is now bloodied on the table of those who ordered the crime and those who carried it out," said Živojin Rakočević, the president of the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS), in Jagodina during the commemoration of the 24th anniversary of journalist Milan Pantić's murder.

Today marks 24 years since the murder of journalist Milan Pantić, and neither the perpetrator nor the mastermind behind the murder has yet been identified. The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia once again calls on the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and bring those responsible for this crime to justice.

The City Assembly of Niš will decide today, June 11, whether the company Ini Media is allowed to use the name of the city in the title Niš TV, which it recently established and has been broadcasting a program on cable for almost a month that promotes the current government, with its first guest being Aleksandar Vučić. This decision comes despite warnings from part of the public that the company is not registered in the media register and does not have approval from REM.

On the day that marks 24 years since the still unpunished murder of Jagodina journalist Milan Pantić, we repeat the text by Veran Matić from two years ago - because during this time, nothing has changed regarding the investigation, the work of the prosecution, and the pursuit of justice for Milan.

The media scene in southern Banat has been so devastated that solidarity and reciprocity within the industry are lacking in cases of attacks, discrimination, or defense against legal actions or orchestrated campaigns that politicians in power and media workers close to them periodically initiate against colleagues who engage in this profession while adhering to ethical standards and the craft rules of professional journalism.

In several recently published interviews, Stevan Dojčinović discusses the change in judges' behavior since 2021, when, due to a generational shift (or for other reasons), judges in the KRIK case began to rule on freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Until then, the KRIK editorial team had won every court case in their favor and did not change their professional approach – as before, they strictly adhered to the journalist code, all the rules of the journalistic craft, fact-checked, and consistently practiced due journalistic diligence.

Author: Veran Matić