04. 07. 2013

THREE DAILIES IN BREACH OF THE CODE

Belgrade, July 4, 2013 (Politika) - Daily newspapers "Kurir", "Vecernje novosti" and "Politika" have violated the provisions of the Serbian Journalists' Code, the Commission for Complaints of the Press Council said.

The Commission reported that "Kurir" had violated several articles of the Code pertaining to the veracity of reporting and due journalistic care by publishing the article "Djilas withdrew 4 million Euros from the bank for pocket money" on June 2.

"Vecernje Novosti" violated the Code with the article published on May 31, "Will the girls get the cervical cancer vaccine?", breaching the provisions prohibiting journalists from spreading unjustified fear in the public by publishing disturbing facts about the side-effects of the vaccine without providing scientific proof and consulting relevant experts.

The decision of the Commission that the daily "Politika" had violated the Code by publishing a statement of only one side in the court proceedings, without consulting the court documentation, and releasing unverified information in the text "Decriminalized libel - rejected lawsuit" on May 28.

The Complaints Commission has ordered dailies to publish this decision by the third issue the latest.