The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly condemns the targeting of journalists, media outlets, and non-governmental organizations on Lav Plus Cacak television and calls on relevant institutions and organizations to denounce these attacks, it said in a press release.
In the program “Raport” on Lav Plus – a station recently acquired by Best Media Team, a subsidiary of the companies that publish tabloid Alo and Informer – host Dejan Vukelic and his guest Vuksa Dragovic dedicated an hour to a campaign discrediting local media and non-governmental organizations funded by international donations, ANEM said.
“The target of this television station was Stojan Markovic, owner and editor of the local media OzonPress, as well as local journalist Nebojsa Jovanovic, Mileva Malesic from the Women’s Forum of Prijepolje, Verica Marincic from IN Media, N1 journalist Danica Vucenic, and media and organizations such as Lokal Pres, ANEM, NUNS, BIRN, CRTA, CEMA from Cacak, the Trag Foundation, the Slavko Curuvija Foundation, among others,” the Association said.
In the Lav Plus program, financial reports of certain media outlets were read, linking them to the so-called “color revolution” and the organization of student protests.
The broadcast included claims that “Veran Matic has been working against the state for 30 years,” that “BIRN is a classic front for a foreign agency,” as well as that they all work against family values, to change the cultural code of Serbia, its traditions, and to revise history, ANEM said.
ANEM described this as a “very dangerous campaign being waged against media that report critically and professionally on the state of society and the state, which can have serious consequences for the safety of media representatives, especially in smaller communities.”
“Local media have been operating under difficult conditions in recent years – financially and under constant pressures, threats, and attacks, but despite everything, they do not give up on informing citizens about issues of public interest and in accordance with professional and ethical journalism standards. We also emphasize that this Cacak television station has received 17.5 million dinars (c. 150,000 euro) in project co-financing for media content this year from previous competitions, while Alo and Informer, along with all their subsidiaries, have received over 185 million dinars (over 1.5 million euro) in state support,” the Association said.
“It is unacceptable and very dangerous to label everyone who, through their legitimate work in the public interest, criticizes phenomena in the state and society in this way. I remind you that this is the fundamental role of media and journalism in democratic societies, but it is clear that certain interest and political groups do not want to hear voices in Serbia that point to corruption and violations of laws and human rights in the country. All of this further endangers the safety of journalists and the survival of local media, which are important for the community. It is particularly problematic that such programs and such rhetoric are broadcast on media whose content is co-financed by local governments and the state in millions of dinars,” said Veran Matic, ANEM Board chair and member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists.
ANEM calls on media, institutions, and the public to stop targeting female journalists, as the public space must not be a space of intimidation, misogyny, and lynching.
“Such labeling and incendiary rhetoric can have serious consequences for the safety of female media representatives, and we appeal to the relevant Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, other state institutions, and officials to condemn such media behavior and show that lynching against dissenters and journalists is unacceptable in a democratic public space,” the Association stated.
Source: N1
