14. 08. 2006

SPORTS JOURNALIST DISPARAGES B92 SITE VISITORS

BELGRADE, August 14, 2006 (B92) - State television (RTS) sports commentator’s unprofessional conduct has been denounced by his media colleagues. Duško Korać, RTS’s sports journalist, commented on B92’s web site forum discussion during a live broadcast from the European Athletics Championship. Korać felt provoked by the comments posted on our site’s forum, criticizing his style of broadcasting, and reacted with these words: “We have been notified that a Socialist Youth and Soros web site is continuing with its primitive insults of the RTS employees, sports commentators in particular”. After that, during the state television’s live broadcast from Goteborg, Korać continued: “The medical science and para-psycho-pathology have established that abstinence causes aggression. However, according to Morgan, the one that came before Darwin, man was created through the use of both hands, not just one. As a Christian, I forgive them – I accept criticism, but as far as vulgar insults go, forget about it, never.” B92’s web site forum comments dealt with the RTS’ sports journalist’s comments. One of them had to do with the Bulgarian high-jumper Vanelina Veneva, and went as follows: “The purity of a sportswoman is mirrored in the purity of her face. Vanelina could do with a makeover, please compare the face of the Belgian with that of the Bulgarian”. B92’s web site director Dejan Restak commented the incident by explaining that the B92 Forum topics are started and to some degree moderated by visitors themselves. “Therefore, the editing process is in the hands of the visitors while B92’s role is to service the platform via which this communication takes place. B92 itself comes under intense criticism at the forum quite often, but that does not authorize us to use our television or radio programs to deal with those in disagreement with us, especially not to air public insults. I also feel indignation at my subscriber fee money being spent to finance someone who allows themselves to behave in this way”, Restak said. NUNS, Serbia’s Independent journalists association, has condemned Korać’s comments in strong terms, calling on RTS editors to take this opportunity and consider their policies related to the choice of commentators. Đorđe Vlajić, the organization’s deputy chairman, believes no serious media outlet should allow for something of the kind to take place. “What our colleague Korać has done is below any professional and even human standard. If he himself reached for the argument of decency, then he should’ve gone on to use decent language. A sports event broadcast by “the public media service”, as RTS likes to call itself, is not the right place for that kind of debate”. Weekly Vreme’s commentator Teofil Pančić says Korać failed to understand that a forum discussion means private chatting in a public space, and therefore took the insults as B92’s personal attack against him. “It was a kind of TV innosence broadcast live. It was also “very amusing” in a way, although what is not innocent is that someone staged a performance using a public service, and public funds. But what is truly amusing is Korać’s poignant lack of any sort of media awareness – the man clearly had no idea what all that was about.” All those asked to comment agreed that this was not Korać’s first outburst and that the B92 forum comments served only to remind the visitors of that fact. Tijanić: Korać in breach of professional principles Beta news agency reports that RTS’s director general Aleksandar Tijanić said the television’s sports commentator Duško Korać was in breach of professional broadcasting principles during the European Athletics Championship live coverage. Tijanić said he would make his final estimate as to the causes, gravity and consequences of the controversy after the crew returned from covering the event in Goteborg, and after he has had a chance to talk to Korać himself.