26. 09. 2002

Head of the Kursumlija Municipal Council Lays the Blame on Journalists

KURSUMLIJA, September 26, 2002 – Head of the Kursumlija Municipal Council Dragan Rajevic has sent a request to RTS demanding that it remove TV Kursumlija’s transmission equipment from Samokovo, with the explanation that this television is not objective. He accused the independent media who reported on the armed incidents at the border between Serbia and Kosovo for being responsible for the bad tourist season in Kursumlijska banja. Rajevic also strongly insulted the journalists in this town, and the independent journalist said they plant to bring libel charges against him with the Kursumlija municipal court. Head of the Kursumlija municipal council Dragan Rajevic told the local television Prizma that the Kursumlija banja had faced a strong crisis because the journalists often reported on armed incidents at the border between Podujevo and Kursumlija and told lies. "Their reports are as if written by untreated alcoholics, or people who’ve escaped from a psychiatric clinic, or people who’ve run away from tuberculosis wards,” he said. BBC correspondent Milos Jankovic assessed that the municipal heads wanted to lay the blame for their failure in the tourist season on the journalists. “The statement of the municipal council head is shameful. It’s just more proof on the new authorities’ attitude towards the media and free journalism”, said Jankovic. The Association of Independent Serbian Journalists has protested against such pressure on the media.