Mila Radulović iz Društva profesionalnih novinara Crne Gore komentarišući inicijativu Društva profesionalnih novinara da se u Etički kodeks unese odredba da su novinari i mediji dužni da poštuju pretpostavku nevinosti na na način što će pažljivo objavljivati fotografije tokom hapšenja ističe da je dužnost medija da izvještavaju a ne da osuđuju.
"We have a situation in the media, especially on portals, where the same photos of arrested people are constantly being repeated. We believe that such photos should be published, but also that the role of the media is to report, not to condemn. It is very bad that politicians are abusing these texts in the media and condemning these people in advance. The media is obliged to inform the public, and I do not dispute that photos of suspects should be published, but not played 20 times," said Radulović.
Photo: RTV PG
As an example, Radulović cites recent cases in which individuals were released from detention, while the media continued to use photographs of them in handcuffs. According to him, such a practice can negatively affect public perception and further complicate the position of these individuals.
"We recently had information that someone was released from custody, and the media has a photo of that person in handcuffs," said Radulović.
However, Radulović adds that he does not blame his colleagues, because today, as he says, there are fewer and fewer photojournalists and cameramen, and the media is reaching for what is easiest for them.
"These are photographs from the archives, illustrations or even artificial intelligence," adds Radulović.
Radulović emphasizes that this is not good and that we cannot, due to a lack of money and the refusal of media owners to pay "people to do their job", constantly publish the same photo and create the impression that someone has been convicted.
Zdravko Gavrilović iz Udruženja novinara Crne Gore dodaje da vrijeme vještačke inteligencije dodatno otežava situaciju.
"Now is the time of artificial intelligence, where we cannot see if it is a real photo. I believe that the public should know, but whether it is good for photos of arrested persons to be illustrated multiple times is a question for media editors," Radulović said.
Gavrilović dodaje da tu trpe ljudi koji su osumnjičeni za neka krivična djela, i ako su pušteni iz pritvora.
„To nije dobro i stvara narativ da ti ljudi treba da budu stalno u takvoj poziciji. Veoma je teško naći mjeru između prava nevinosti i da novinar odradi posao na jedan pravi način“, ističe Gavrilović.
Gavrilović naglašava da Zakon ne reguliše ovu oblast i da na kraju krajeva uvijek novinar bude kriv, i ako on samo radi svoj posao.
Radulović pointed out the importance of respecting the code of ethics in journalism. As she emphasized, the media should be more mindful of the consequences that their reporting can have on individuals.
"We must put ourselves in the position of the person we are reporting on, that is, the convicted person," Radulović points out.
According to her, media legislation is being harmonized with European standards, but internal editorial rules and professional standards still play a key role.
"We must strive to ensure that journalism remains professional and does not lose the race with artificial intelligence, social networks and disinformation. The code of ethics is something that needs additional work," Radulović pointed out.
She also referred to the case of journalist Radojević, where Prva banka sued Vesna Radojević and demanded 7,000 euros because she "violated their personality rights", stating that they had contacted the European Center for Press Freedom on this occasion.
"From what we have seen, it seems like there is an attempt to cover up certain topics and not report on them," she said.
She added that such actions could be interpreted as an attempt to pressure the media.
"I assume that the goal is to silence the media and create pressure in this way. What my colleague Radojević said has been published many times before, and in a much harsher form," said Radulović.
Gavrilović concluded that the media have been reporting on these topics for years, and that the question now arises as to whether certain actions are being used to discipline the media.
Photo: RTV PG
"This is a way to instill some kind of fear in the media, especially in the context of current cases and proceedings against certain public figures, mainly because of Mr. Djukanovic, who was recently prosecuted and against whom several proceedings are being conducted," he said.
