Journalist association welcomes hooligan verdict

Muzzling the critics?

As usual, only part of the news. If B92 were not the ideological partner of the Tadic government in the quest for an EU-US colonization of Serbia, its reporters would likely not be so well protected. When this government acts to protect those few journalists who dare to speak out against them, then you'll have a real news story on your hands.

It is also unclear in this story what the exact charge was... could it have been "the exercise of free speech against a government-allied journalist"? Or perhaps "overt criticism of a protected Western-backed media agency" or what?

It is one thing to criticize someone and even chant names at them. In real democracies, that is a protected citizen's right that belongs equally to "hooligans". It is quite another matter to be convicted for real death threats.

Let's be careful what we applaud when it touches even slightly on the domain of free speech.

As a journalist, I know that criticism and derogatory chants come with the territory. I trust that's not what people are going to prison for in Serbia today... but of course the B92 story fails to make this clear.

All of this dovetails nicely with the new caveat that I see posted above our comments box here: "...under the valid Law on Public Information, RDP B92 is responsible for the content of its websites and will take this into account when publishing visitors' comments".... Government-enforced censorship even in the comments section, duly executed by Tadic's "willing censors" at B92.

Sweet.

Sincerely,

John Bosnitch
Journalist

Muzzling the critics?

As usual, only part of the news. If B92 were not the ideological partner of the Tadic government in the quest for an EU-US colonization of Serbia, its reporters would likely not be so well protected. When this government acts to protect those few journalists who dare to speak out against them, then you'll have a real news story on your hands.

It is also unclear in this story what the exact charge was... could it have been "the exercise of free speech against a government-allied journalist"? Or perhaps "overt criticism of a protected Western-backed media agency" or what?

It is one thing to criticize someone and even chant names at them. In real democracies, that is a protected citizen's right that belongs equally to "hooligans". It is quite another matter to be convicted for real death threats.

Let's be careful what we applaud when it touches even slightly on the domain of free speech.

As a journalist, I know that criticism and derogatory chants come with the territory. I trust that's not what people are going to prison for in Serbia today... but of course the B92 story fails to make this clear.

All of this dovetails nicely with the new caveat that I see posted above our comments box here: "...under the valid Law on Public Information, RDP B92 is responsible for the content of its websites and will take this into account when publishing visitors' comments".... Government-enforced censorship even in the comments section, duly executed by Tadic's "willing censors" at B92.

Sweet.

Sincerely,

John Bosnitch
Journalist