Journalists and media staff in Nis on Monday rejected Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s apology to a state TV (RTS) reporter and are refusing to cover any of his events.
Vucic called an RTS reporter an imbecile for her coverage of Saturday’s mass protest gathering in the southern Serbian city. He issued an open letter apologizing to the reporter but adding that RTS journalists are biased and unprofessional.
The group of 46 journalists said in their statement that they would not cover any of Vucic’s events unless he makes an appropriate apology. They said Monday’s apology is disputable because it includes new insults about the professionalism and objectivity of those journalists who he said are a disgrace.
„We believe that calling a journalist an imbecile and a disgrace to the profession (whether he was referring to Lidija Georgijeva or Dejan Tasic, who both reported very professionally and objectively on the protest in Nis) is, at the very least, inappropriate for any public official, especially the president. According to the Law on Public Information and Media, journalists are obliged to inform the public truthfully, promptly, and comprehensively about all events of public interest, which is exactly what the colleagues from the Niš branch of RTS did on March 1,“ the statement said.
Source: N1
