Veran Matić: The ruling against the editor of Večernje Novosti is a precedent, even though the code has been violated and criminal offenses have been committed.

In a statement to the Nova S television Daily, he noted that we have previously experienced situations where terrible smear campaigns and hate speech were directed against those with differing opinions, but we have never had a ruling like this.

He added that it was mentioned that she was prohibited from engaging in journalistic work, which is not true; the prohibition actually applies to editorial work. According to him, she bears a greater degree of responsibility, including for the texts of other authors, as she is the one who assigns tasks to other journalists.

“For an extended period, Zdenka Tomanović, who is the plaintiff in this case, has been smeared with lies, disinformation, and horrible hate speech... This is not just that; such defamation has resulted in terrible threats against Tomanović and his family, including threats of liquidation, as he has already been demonized as an enemy of this society, and for this reason, he sought justice in court,” emphasized Matić.

He pointed out that a series of violations, from the Code of Ethics to various criminal acts, have been committed in the reporting by Novosti, and that they do this daily against numerous other individuals, dissenters, clearly under the orders of the authorities.

Matić also recalled the case where Judge Đorđević sued KRIK and sought a ban on journalistic work and prison sentences for information gathered from publicly available sources.

“KRIK and Večernje Novosti cannot be compared, but there is a possibility that this precedent could be used against professional journalists, which would be absolutely unacceptable,” stated the president of the ANEM Board of Directors.

He underscored that tens and hundreds of people are exposed to hate speech and discreditation on a daily basis, and this must be stopped.

“Is it possible to stop this with such a punitive policy? I don't think it's possible. I do not believe that this ruling will stand at a higher instance, and I do not believe that the accused will cease to engage in editorial work, regardless of how it will be regulated. She is performing a job that is not journalistic, but propagandistic, and I do not believe that anyone will distance themselves from her in this case,” assessed Matić.