The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) once again calls on all media to refrain from scandalous writing in these tragic moments and to respect the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics. IJAS strongly condemns the writing of the online portal Republika about the funeral of those killed in the massacre in the vicinity of Mladenovac.
We remind the online portalRepublika not to further disturb the families of the victims with its writing and other accompanying multimedia content. It is extremely important in reporting such events that there is a spirit of compassion and discretion. This type of writing can lead to re-traumatization in the family of the victims, and in the audience to panic, because sensationalism in the entire public creates a sense of threatened security, resulting in collective fear, anxiety, agitation, withdrawal.
The Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics states that “a journalist must respect the privacy, dignity and integrity of the people he/she writes about, as well as think about the consequences of what he/she publishes, be guided by what is in the public interest and whether they threaten someone’s existence, health or life”.
We remind you that the basic provisions and guidelines of the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics in such tragic events are related to the protection of privacy and that the journalist is obliged to respect the privacy, dignity and integrity of the people he/she writes about.
IJAS
9.5.2023