The Ministry reacts strongly: “The bottom of media immorality and shamelessness”

The Ministry reacts strongly: “The bottom of media immorality and shamelessness”

The ministry has announced that it will impose all the measures within its competencies and expects a prompt and determined reaction on the part of the Public Prosecutor's Office.

"The Ministry of Culture and Information assessed with the deepest disgust that those headlines have stepped over the boundaries of inhuman behavior towards a minor and her parents, who have suffered too much for media vultures with no scruples to dig deeper into their wounds contrary to the law. This is a point on which society has to stand united and in solidarity and condemn these media misdeeds, which could otherwise turn into pre-civilization ethical dullness and immorality,” the ministry statement said.

Some of the tabloids have published front page stories of the arrested Ninoslav Jovanovic depicting torturing a kidnapped 12-year-old girl for days.

"An example of what the media shouldn't do"

President of the Government Coordination Body for Gender Equality, Zorana Mihajlovic, condemned the publication of details about the abduction and violence committed against a 12-year-old girl in some Serbian dailies, stating that this was "an example of what the media should not do".

She called on the media to help combat violence, "not to prolong it."

"The examples of today's front pages are an example of what the media should not do because publicizing the details of the abduction and violence suffered by the girl actually prolongs violence against her even after the girl was found and her abductor arrested", it was stated from the cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

She said that the media "should be partners in fighting violence and not prolonging the violence against the victim by sensational writings".

The Serbian Journalists' Association (UNS) has condemned today's front pages of "Serbian Telegraph" and "Informer", which, by publishing the testimony of multiple convicted rapist Ninoslav Jovanovic, grossly violates the dignity and privacy of a minor victim, which is prohibited by law and journalistic code.

On the front pages of the Serbian Telegraph and Informer, Jovanovic's testimony was given to the police and the prosecution, describing the abuse of his victim.

"The most egregious violation of the rights of the child"

The front pages of today's editions of the "Serbian Telegraph" and "Informer", as well as the text on the Alo.rs portal, which convey statements by an arrested abductor of a 12-year-old girl, cross all boundaries of professional ethics and violate the rights of the child most deeply, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Brankica Jankovic warned.

"This can have long-term adverse effects on victim's development and growth, especially in smaller places where the child remains marked for life," the Commissioner warned in a statement she made to the media.

She explained: "The disclosure of details of a heinous crime does not constitute information of public interest or journalism, but misuse of the media space and a violation of the Code of Journalists of Serbia", the Commissioner said.

She cited a section in the Journalist Code that stated "that the journalist is bound to respect the privacy, dignity and integrity of the people he reports, and in particular to protect the rights and dignity of children and victims of crime."

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) has condemned the publication of details of the hearings of the abductor and rapist in some newspapers, which they said grossly violated the legal and ethical standards on the privacy and dignity of a minor victim.

In a statement, the NUNS called on the competent Prosecutor's Office to take appropriate sanctions against those papers because they "grossly" violated the Law on Public Information and Media, which requires that "the description of the scene of violence in the media or media content should not violate the dignity of the victim of violence".

The association recalled that these newspaper articles, "known for their persistent disrespect for journalistic ethics," also grossly violated the Serbian Journalists' Code, which obliges journalists and editors to respect and protect the rights and dignity of child victims of crime.

They also called on the Ministry of Culture and Information to publicly condemn the shameful editorial policy of the newspaper and, in accordance with its jurisdiction, to report to the prosecution for scandalous violation of the law.

The Serbian Ministry of Culture and Information sharply condemned several pro-government tabloid dailies that published front page stories about the rape of an abducted child, saying it was shameless and immoral.