15. 07. 2013

ANEM STRONGLY CONDEMNS REPORT PUBLISHED BY INFORMER

Belgrade, July 15, 2013 - The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly protests against the content of the articles published in the last two issues of the daily newspaper Informer.

The daily newspaper Informer has published articles that in an inappropriate manner discuss the conditions of and reasons for the police protection of the editor of the news programme of TV B92, Veran Matic. The articles accuse Veran Matic of arrogance because of the expenses paid from the national budget of the Republic of Serbia for his security. In the last two issues, the Informer speculates that the editor of B92 does not need such a security at all, without providing any information about the reasons that caused the authorities to provide him police protection to this day.

ANEM points out that the estimation of security threats against any individual in Serbia, including Veran Matic, is made by the competent institutions of the Republic of Serbia, and not by the person who is under protection. After the estimation of security threats against a certain individual is made, the authorities then adopt the final decision on providing protection, including further assessments about its duration.

Veran Matic is not the only journalist or media editor in Serbia who has been placed under police protection. Apart from him, the general director of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS), Aleksandar Tijanic, the author and editor of the television show The Insider, Brankica Stankovic, journalist Vladimir Mitric and others whose lives are deemed to be under threat. We remind that the very editor of Informer, Dragan J. Vucicevic, was once protected by the police.

ANEM is extremely concerned that the reports published by the newspaper Informer intentionally imply that the persons whose security is threatened should take blame for the cost of police protection, and that Veran Matic, in this case, is described as arrogant - and not as a colleague whose life has been in danger - because of the decision made by the authorities to have him under police protection for more than two years now. This is even more so if we have in mind that it is not uncommon for journalists to be under protection for much more than two years, and that Veran Matic has pointed out several times that living under police protection is not at all enjoyable, both for him and  his family.

ANEM considers it unacceptable that Informer, instead of offering support to its colleague, sends a message that questions the protection and additionally jeopardizes the security of Veran Matic as well as the security of those who are being protected by the police at the moment or will be protected in the future. In this way, potential attackers are encouraged because the victims of attacks and threats are presented as capriciously demanding police protection, while the focus is taken away from the key issue, which is the safety of journalists. This fact is well evidenced by the murders of Milan Pantic, Dada Vujasinovic and Slavko Curuvija, attempt of murder of Dejan Anastasijevic ann frequent attacks on journalists.

ANEM reminds that a similar situation existed in the past, when journalists questioned the protection of the prime minister, Zoran Djindjic, and calls on the colleagues from the Informer to respect the estimation of security threats against Veran Matic. ANEM also calls on the authorities to inform the public on all the steps and measures taken to ensure the protection of journalists in Serbia apart from the providing police protection in individual cases.

ANEM President, Sasa Mirkovic