NUNS: Unacceptable labeling and national targeting of journalists in Informer

The Informer published an article titled “Dinko and the Albanian Journalist Support the Blockaders and Attack Serbia: It’s Good That They Say Serbs Are to Blame for the Wars in Yugoslavia,” in which Dinko Gruhonjić is labeled as an “autonomist” and an “anti-Serbian oriented professor,” while journalist Getoarbe Mulići is targeted on a national basis. Their professional work and analysis regarding the state of media freedom, dealing with the past, and attitudes towards the wars of the 1990s are presented as an attack on Serbia.

NUNS warns that such writing represents a dangerous targeting of journalists, inciting hostility and attempting to discredit them. The use of offensive, nationally colored, and incendiary qualifications is particularly dangerous in an atmosphere where journalists and media workers are increasingly exposed to threats, pressure, and hate campaigns.

Dinko Gruhonjić has long been the target of serious threats, insults, and campaigns to discredit him in the public and pro-regime media. Each new targeting further jeopardizes his safety and creates an atmosphere where threats and violence become more likely.

NUNS particularly emphasizes that it is unacceptable to target journalist Getoarbe Mulići based on her national affiliation. Such rhetoric contributes to the fueling of ethnic intolerance and sends a dangerous message that journalists can be attacked not for their work, but for their identity, origin, or the subjects they cover.

We remind that the role of the media is to critically examine social and political processes, including attitudes towards the past, media freedom, war crimes, disinformation, and institutional accountability. Disagreement with the views of the authors should not be grounds for their labeling, dehumanization, and exposure to danger.

NUNS calls on the relevant institutions to treat such cases with due diligence, considering the consequences that targeting campaigns can have on the safety of journalists. We also urge the media to respect professional and ethical standards, to refrain from incendiary narratives, and to avoid using language that could incite hatred, threats, and violence.

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia expresses its full solidarity with Dinko Gruhonjić and Getoarbe Mulići and warns that the continuous targeting of journalists poses a serious threat to media freedom, the safety of media workers, and public dialogue in Serbia.

Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia