ANEM ALARM: Rough prevention of ANEM members from reporting on the fire at the landfill in Druglići.

During yesterday, a journalist from TV Forum in Prijepolje was carrying out her journalistic duties in a public space when she received disturbing remarks and interruptions from present workers. At all costs, the recording of the fire was prevented in the presence of the President of the Municipality of Prijepolje, Drago Popadić, who also demanded that the journalist cease recording the fire. The local construction contractor, Halil Rovčanin, approached her in a threatening manner, further jeopardizing her safety.

Today, a journalistic team from the production company Rec Media from Užice, while filming a segment for Nova S television, faced harsh obstruction in a public space while attempting to record the fire and the activities related to its extinguishment. Cameraman Miloš Vulović was pushed away by present workers, even though he was on public property, far from the entrance ramp to the landfill itself. On multiple occasions, the camera was obstructed in an attempt to prevent filming, and there was also a risk of property damage.

TV Forum and Rec Media are members of the Association of Independent Electronic Media, adhere to the journalistic code, and report professionally while protecting the public interest. Attempts to prevent them from informing the citizens of this region about possible threats to their health constitute a direct violation of the Constitution and numerous laws, and represent an additional potential jeopardy to the health of citizens.

“Today we submitted a report to the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office and the Police Administration of Prijepolje regarding these two incidents. We demand that the authorities identify all responsible parties, as they are visible in the recordings made by the journalists, and that they be prosecuted. We call on the citizens of Prijepolje, Priboj, Nova Varoš, and Užice to protect their media, because if they are not there, there will be no one to inform them about the dangers posed by ecological disasters and natural calamities, especially when the authorities try to cover them up because they do not want their responsibility to be seen,” stated Veran Matić, a member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists and President of the Management Board of ANEM.

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

The project “Improvement of the System for Prevention and Response Mechanisms in Cases of Threats to the Safety and Life of Journalists in Serbia” is being implemented by ANEM in partnership with Insajder TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union.