19. 06. 2014

"Chronicle of Threats" wins Cannes Lion

19.6.2014. (B92) - The campaign "Chronicle of Threats" has received the Bronze Lion at the world's largest festival of creativity in Cannes.

The campaign is the work of the agency Saatchi & Saatchi, and of the Commission for Investigation of Murders of Journalists and the OSCE.

"To win a Cannes Lion among the biggest global competition is quite a feat and is bordered on the impossible. But the philosophy of our agency that 'nothing is impossible' has now been confirmed in the best way. This project was worked on by superbly creative people and once again showed why they are among the best in the world,'' says Veljko Golubović, creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi Belgrade.

Commission's president, Veran Matić, also spoke about the significance of the award:

"The Commission for Investigation of Murders of Journalists that was formed at the initiative of journalists by the Serbian government, and in addition to working on determining who ordered and carried out the murders of journalists in Serbia wanted to raise awareness that violence against journalists is absolutely unacceptable and that the elimination of the principle of impunity of killers and masterminds is the first step towards the protection of freedom of speech, freedom of journalists and the media."

"WWe are happy that the results achieved with the first indictment for the murder of Slavko Ćuruvije justify the idea behind the forming of the commission, and also because the Bronze Lion award showed the full commitment and creativity in addressing this topic when it comes to the media presentation of this important global issue," said Matić.

The Commission and the OSCE Office for Media Freedom initiated the international project "Chronicle of threats" to encourage public debate and define methods of effective protection of journalists who are almost daily exposed to various forms of discrimination, aggression and violence.

For the purpose of the campaign, one of 100 authentic threats to journalists was selected and published as an anonymous letter in 70,000 copies of daily newspapers Blic, Politika and Danas. At the same time, a video message on threats against investigative journalists was published on websites. Threats inserted into newspapers and posted on the internet were intended to put the reader in the position of journalists who receive them every day.

"This is wonderful news and a great tribute to the work of the Commission and the inventive approach to solving this problem. The biggest prize will be the final resolution of all murders and bringing to justice the perpetrators and those who gave the orders," said OSCE Representative on Media Freedom Dunja Mijatović, and added:

"This commission is one of the best examples of cooperation between the government, journalists, and government agencies in the region of the OSCE. I am proud that my office was part of that effort. We will certainly continue to support the work of the Commission and also to use the success of the campaign as an example for other member states of the OSCE, which are struggling with the problems of impunity for violence against journalists."