PM: B92 reporter to retain police security

PM: B92 reporter to retain police security

B92 asked the MUP to publicly state the reasons for assigning Stankovic security, in order to prevent further attempts to use this to discredit and endanger the safety of journalists.

After B92 TV earlier this week broadcast a new series, dubbed Reporter, that deals with football clubs, Red Star official Nebojsa Covic publicly ridiculed the decision to assign police security to the journalist.

B92 on Thursday asked Vucic to comment on the public call made by Covic and Milorad Vucelic to abolish Stankovic's police protection.

"Security decisions are made by other organs, and since we analyzed (it) with the MUP during the last session of the Bureau, the measure for the Ms. or Miss remains. So there are some other authorities responsible for this issue," said Vucic.

Meanwhile the NUNS issued a statement to address the issue.

"This campaign has gone so far that it is considered 'normal' for members of fan groups to prevent journalists from asking questions during press conferences... It speaks about the extent of this campaign, and it is not the first, that allegations are made about investigative reporters being arrogant, and enemies of the country... Dealings that football and other sports clubs are engaged in are not private dealings. In these dealings money of all citizens of Serbia is spent. This is an additional reason for the increased public interest in these issues... Highlighting the alleged insult is a fallacy that a part of the media in Serbia agrees to, without doubting it, with the approval of stakeholders from sports and political circles," said the journalist association.

The Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor's Office have official notes containing information that a sniper had been bought to liquidate Stankovic, and that an accused crime group organizer was behind it. For this reason the journalist has had police escort for the past six years.

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) also reacted to condemn the continued campaign against B92 TV, especially the Insajder and Reporter teams, and invited authorities "to ensure the full exercise of press freedom and freedom of expression."

ANEM noted that the first episode of the Reporter series was broadcast on Monday, and asked what were the true intentions of Red Star and Partizan managements when they reacted to the program by inviting fans to "publicly show what they think about B92's attempts to bring down the clubs."

ANEM believes that, when one takes into account why Stankovic was given police protection, "what club leaderships and managements are doing cannot be understood as anything other than a ruthless and open call for lynching."

The Association also expressed solidarity with the colleagues who were "targeted by the attacks" and urged authorities to prevent a media debate on matters of public interest to be stifled by threatening and pressuring journalists.