The first man of the City Television Vladimir Otašević called what was an act of terrorism Jelena Z. Radonjic Two nights ago, he drove his car through a ramp in front of a temple in Podgorica and injured two people, and he blamed it all on certain politicians and colleagues from the media.
After such a claim "overnighted" on the Facebook profile of the director of Radio-Television Podgorica, it first disappeared from the "wall" in the morning, and then, only for his friends on that social network, appeared in a modified version.
A public official on the payroll of citizens tells Vijesti that he sees nothing controversial in his publications, because "about twenty days ago, your 'Vijesti' published an article mentioning the threat of terrorism in Montenegro"...
Vijesti's interlocutors agree that comments like Otašević's can "push an unstable society into events we don't want to see" and that everyone who calls themselves journalists needs to know this:
"Whether they were paid by the tabloids in the neighborhood or from the pockets of the citizens of Podgorica," says the editor-in-chief of the Raskrinkavanje.me platform. Darvin Murić.
In an official statement, the police appealed to citizens to refrain from negative comments and posts that further disturb the public.
"Especially considering the location of the incident, and that this criminal act, as well as the consequences themselves, do not have the outlines of a planned act of violence, bearing in mind that the perpetrator is in specific circumstances, and that she was taken to the Clinical Center for medical attention," the official police statement states.
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"Terrorism in Podgorica due, apparently, to paranoia and hatred spread by certain politicians and colleagues from the media," he commented on the social network Facebook. Otašević. Along with that comment, he left a link to the portal of that local broadcaster, an hour and a half after JR(44) drove his car through a fence in front of a temple in Podgorica and hit a Turkish citizen KB (44) and fellow citizen JR (22)
The claim had been on Otašević's Facebook profile for a long time, publicly available to anyone who searched for it. At some point yesterday morning, the post was gone, but screenshots of it were circulating on social media.
After "Vijesti" asked Otašević questions, the post "returned" to his profile, but changed and visible only to those who are among his friends:
"Is this terrorism in Podgorica because, apparently, of the paranoia and hatred spread by certain politicians and colleagues from the media," reads Otašević's edited post, which received more than 120 reactions, and there were also controversial comments, which Otašević did not warn about.
When asked by the editorial staff on the basis of what he assessed and announced two nights ago that it was terrorism and whether it was professional, ethical and moral for him, as the director of a local public broadcaster, to draw conclusions before learning all the facts regarding the event, Otašević responded with the following question:
"Dear colleague, what is controversial about the comment, when we all know that paranoia and hatred have been spreading in the media in Montenegro for a long time. Here, your 'Vijesti' published an article about twenty days ago mentioning the threat of terrorism in Montenegro, on the other hand, certain media, such as the portal 'Aktuelno', are targeting a religious community without any consequences," claims Otašević.
Asked about deleting that comment, and whether he thereby admitted that he had reacted unprofessionally, Otašević claims that he did not delete the comment.
"I did not delete the comment because, as you claim, it is unprofessional. Stop misleading the public, as you have been doing since I was appointed director. Attached are links to two texts, if you are going to write, please share my response in its entirety," he replied.
He left a link from the "Vijesti" portal, which quotes the National Security Agency's official responses to questions about potential threats from terrorism, as well as a link to a text from the "Aktuelno" portal with the title "Abuse of Orthodoxy for Warmongering Purposes."
"Vijesti" asked questions and then contacted the president of the City TV Council. Vesna Radulović.
"... I'm on the road. I'm sorry, but I didn't get your email. Probably because I'm roaming," Radulović replied to the reporter in a short phone conversation.
Murić: Raising panic
Considering that we have recently witnessed crimes that are too much for the continent, and not for a country like Montenegro, it can be said that the media and those who are appointed by politics to manage them have not learned a lesson on how to report in delicate moments, he told "Vijesti" yesterday. Muric.
"We are used to politicians who tweet faster than they think and give themselves the role of forensic experts, experts, psychologists and pathologists and seek their place on the public stage by causing panic, but if no one is already holding them accountable, someone should really hold the media that does not act professionally when a person drives a car into pedestrians accountable, whether they are privately owned or owned by us citizens. For example, the tabloid outlet 'Alo', in moments when it is not known why someone drove a car into people, finds it appropriate, despite the fact that the police have announced that there is no outline of a planned act of violence, to announce that 'investigative bodies do not exclude the possibility that the act was committed out of national or religious hatred, which would qualify the attack as a criminal offense with aggravating circumstances', which none of the investigative bodies have said," Murić points out.
According to him, although the police said there was no indication of a planned act of violence, and even asked citizens "not to write, simply put, anything on social networks, someone should tell the media."
"...Because you can be sure that in the coming days you will read interpretations and opinions of events whose interpretation is the responsibility of the police, the prosecutor's office and the court. Facebook experts, portals that are disinformation factories, and politically appointed journalists/directors paid by all of us, who proclaim themselves experts in national security and write that they know that this is terrorism as if they had personally hunted it, are not in charge." Osamu Bin Laden", and then they cover up the panic by deleting or changing their Facebook status. Moving from a journalist's position to a director's position does not guarantee a crash course in knowledge about terrorism, but it should guarantee that one must be held accountable for every word, even if it has been changed, and especially when that word can have serious consequences," warns Murić.
He emphasizes that "it is one thing to misinform about politics, and quite another to spread fake news, including on social media, about an event that could have claimed many lives, especially if we know that causing panic even among those who know absolutely nothing can have serious consequences."
"Interpretations of mass murders in Cetinje through national-religious frameworks and inventing insane conspiracy theories, claims that police were shot at during the enthronement of the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, a situation in which a car driving into a crowd is, at first, interpreted as terrorism, are things that can push an unstable society into events that we do not want to see, this must be known to all who call themselves journalists, whether they are paid by the tabloids in the neighborhood or from the pockets of the citizens of Podgorica," concludes Murić.
Đurović: Returning favors to political mentors
Director of the Media Center Goran Đurović He said that Otašević "with his hasty statement regarding the incident, which occurred near the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, showed that the head of the City RTV is a person with very dubious journalistic knowledge."
"Publishing unverified information that this is a terrorist act and accusing politicians and the media of spreading 'paranoia and hatred' is scandalous, to say the least. Otašević currently holds the position of director of the public media service RTV Podgorica, which makes his statement even more problematic, as it indicates a tendency to publish unverified information, without confirmation from official bodies (in this case, the Police Directorate or the competent prosecutor's office)," said Đurović.
He reminded that in such situations, an additional dose of caution in statements is necessary.
"... Because spreading unverified information can actually incite violence against other individuals and groups in the community. Otašević's statement is the best evidence of why he was illegally appointed to office and why he is convinced that by accusing politicians and other media outlets, he must return the favor to the political mentors of the ruling majority in Podgorica who brought him to the position he is in," said Đurović.
Councilor of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) in the Capital City Assembly Andrija Klikovac He said that the announcement by the director of City Television is "the best proof of unprofessionalism, lack of objectivity and his bad intentions."
"Instead of being an example to other journalists, Otašević, as the director of the local public service, actually best confirms that the only criterion for his appointment was actually political affiliation with the ruling coalition. Changing the announcement only further speaks of the director's lack of seriousness, but also of the fact that he has deleted various statuses and news from the RTV Gradska portal many times under pressure from the mayor." Saša Mujović "or political leaders of the government. I expect that Otašević will be dismissed even after this scandal, as well as the negative DRI report," Klikovac assessed.
SMCG: Media to adhere to the Journalists' Code
The Media Union of Montenegro (SMCG) said that they do not comment on "the way in which the media and their representatives report on individual events."
"...In order to leave space for trade associations. From the position of the largest media organization of this type in Montenegro, we always appeal to our colleagues to respect the Code and ethical principles, which are there to differentiate between media professionals and other content creators and provide the public with credible information," they stated.
According to them, prejudging the circumstances under which the events occurred could cause public unrest.
"Which is not in accordance with the aforementioned ethical principles, so we call on all journalists to be careful to avoid abuse."
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