Local SPS official in Vranje, Darko Stanojević, vulgarly insulted the editor of the “InfoVranjska” portal Mihajlo Stojković and his family, calling him a “pig with bulging eyes”. The reason for this reaction was a newspaper article about the mobbing of local health center workers to go to the regime rally. There is no reaction from the competent institutions, as before
Member of the City Council Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) in Crow and the head of one of the services of the Health Center, Darko Stanojević, sent a series of insults on social networks to the editor-in-chief of the InfoVranjske.rs portal, Mihajlo Stojković, as well as to members of his family.
After the reactions of the newspaper associations, Stanojević deleted this post from his account, but the print screen remained.
The insults followed after the portal published the text in which it was stated that Stanojević invited employees of the Health Center to participate in the (counter)blockade in a Viber group. This text was also transmitted by our portal.
A call to institutions to react urgently
In a statement for “Vreme”, Mihajlo Stojković assessed that the attack was “an obvious reaction to professionally performed journalistic work”.
“On the InfoVranjske.rs portal, a text was published in which it is stated that Stanojević called the workers of the Health Center in Vranje to a (counter)blockade through a Viber group, and in response we receive insults – and publicly, on social networks. It is particularly worrying that the political official did not stop at personal insults, but in his post directly insulted and targeted members of my family, thereby exceeding all limits of ethical and civilized behavior,” said Stojković.
He adds that the Development and Integration Team, the founder of the InfoVranjske.rs portal, called on the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Police Department in Vranje to “urgently react, register and process this case as a direct attack on the integrity of journalists and as pressure on media freedom.”
“This is not the first time that Stanojević as an official has publicly insulted citizens, journalists and colleagues. We call on the SPS City Board to distance itself from such hate speech and sanction its official. At the same time, the leadership of the Health Center must reconsider his behavior, because this act has seriously damaged the institution’s reputation. Finally, I want to emphasize that we will not be swayed by such attacks – we will continue to do our work conscientiously and in accordance with the ethical code of the profession,” concluded Stojković.
Reactions of journalistic associations
The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) in its statement assessed that “this kind of attack on a journalist is a direct pressure on media freedom and an attempt at intimidation.” ANEM called on the competent authorities to provide protection to journalists and prosecute the case.
ANEM states in its statement that Stanojević called Stojković “Teletabis” in his Facebook status, and in addition mentioned other members of his family in a negative context. In addition to the mentioned insult, he also called the editor of the InfoVranjske.rs portal “pig with bulging eyes”, “bulutin”…
“Teletabis is similar to a pig due to its bulging eyes and large belly, and its character is similar to an unfed goat,” wrote Darko Stanojević.
“Disturbing and insulting messages, such as the one sent by an official of the ruling coalition party, as a rule, turn into an avalanche that directly threatens the safety of journalists and creates a sense of fear for the family and the editorial office. ANEM once again appeals to the representatives of the government and ruling parties to immediately stop their inflammatory rhetoric towards journalists, because in this way they put pressure on the professional work of the media and encourage others to feel free to threaten and attack media representatives,” it says. announcement of ANEM.
The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) also reacted, emphasizing that “officials, especially those in public institutions, must show respect for journalists and the media, even when they disagree with their reporting.”
UNS called on Stanojević to publicly apologize and stop the attacks.
NUNS emphasized that “the fact that attacks on journalists are happening more often in local areas, where politicians and officials often use their position to put pressure on the media, is of particular concern.”
This case, one of a series of pressures on local media in Serbia, shows how difficult the work of journalists in smaller communities is and exposed to political pressure.
In a situation where local officials simultaneously perform party and institutional duties, any criticism or investigation of their work has become an occasion for attack, often on a personal level.
As a rule, such attacks do not have a reaction from state authorities, and local officials go unpunished.
Source: Vreme
