ANEM alarm: Unacceptable threats to the editorial team of the Vranje News portal.
The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly condemns the violent threats directed at the editorial staff of the local portal Vranje News and demands that the authorities promptly identify and apprehend the perpetrator, considering the seriousness of the threat. The editorial team has reported the case to the contact point of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists at the Prosecutor's Office and provided information to the police. The case has also been reported to the Prosecutor's Office for High-Tech Crime.
As reported by Vranje News, the owner of a profile on a social network (name, surname, and nickname known to the editorial team) issued threats of physical violence during a phone call with a member of the Vranje News editorial team on Friday, after being "banned" or blocked due to multiple inappropriate comments and hate speech directed at our media outlet.
During the phone call, at one point he stated that at the first opportunity he sees members of our editorial team in the field, he would approach, seize, and break the camera, claiming that this would be a form of reciprocity for the fact that his comments were disabled on the official Vranje News profile.
The editorial team adds that although he was repeatedly explained that his actions constitute a threat and that the case would be reported to the police, he responded, "Go ahead, report me."
He had previously called the editorial team three times, spoke with the editor, but despite being politely informed about the reasons behind the actions taken, he continued to issue threats.
"Moreover, the previous activity of the individual on the Vranje News profile on social media remarkably resembled so-called 'bot behavior,' rather than a desire to improve the situation in any area covered by the editorial team with constructive, and above all, civilized comments," stated Vranje News.
ANEM reminds that every media outlet has the obligation and right to moderate content and comments on its official social media accounts in accordance with its internal rules and the Code of Journalists of Serbia, and that this cannot and must not be a reason for harassment and threats against editorial teams.
In recent months, Serbia has experienced a negative atmosphere that encourages the endangerment of the safety of journalists, especially those media outlets that report professionally and critically on events in society and the state, leading to a record number of pressures, threats, and attacks on media employees this year.
ANEM calls on all journalists and media representatives to regularly report any kind of endangerment to their safety while performing their work, and urges the relevant authorities to respond promptly and adequately to stop pressures, threats, and attacks on media personnel.
All journalists have access to a free phone number and a direct line to ANEM at 0800 100 115, where media representatives can receive explanations about the legal treatment of acts and the procedures that should be initiated to report endangerment of safety to the relevant institutions, police, and prosecution.
Veran Matić, President of the Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) and member of the Permanent Working Group on the Safety of Journalists
The project "System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists" 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 and the Balkan Fund for Democracy.
