Director of the Sports Center in Bečej: Instead of answering the question, he accused the journalist from Bečej Mosaic of "spreading hate."

The incident occurred in front of the sports center, where journalists from the Bečejski Mozaik and Webinfo were waiting for the arrival of local and provincial officials for a tour of the volleyball camp being held at this public institution.

In response to a journalist's question about how many days the camp lasts at the public sports institution, Director Onjin initially replied that he did not know and that "it is not his job to know." After the journalist pointed out that, as the director of the institution, he should possess that information, Onjin retorted that he would not share that information even if he knew it.

When it was brought to his attention that he is an official of a public institution whose salary is funded by the taxpayers of the municipality of Bečej, Milan Onjin shifted to a personal level and began to verbally confront the journalist, accusing her of "spreading hatred" through her work and adding that "someone should have told her that."

The practice of certain local officials and public functionaries who verbally confront journalists, insult them, and target them creates an atmosphere in which independent media are treated as enemies. Such behavior from the director of a public institution threatens freedom of expression, especially in a small community like Bečej, as well as the citizens' right to be informed about the work and activities of the institutions they finance themselves. 

Source: Bečejski Mozaik