Journalist Association Calls for Vucic to Stop Disparaging Journalists

Aleksandar Vucic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

The Association of Journalists of Serbia on Dec. 17 urged Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to "stop disparaging and belittling journalists."

The Association decried as "inappropriate" the manner in which Vucic adressed N1 TV reporter Mladen Savatovic during a news conference at Serbia Palace, in Belgrade. "After Savatovic asked the president a question about the General Staff building, Vucic accused him of being a liar, of having called [Vucic] 'Hitler' and called [Savatovic] rude, and then said that he would 'teach [him] how to behave since [his] parents didn't," reads the Association's press release.

The Association's press release went on to say that public officials "should be aware of their responsibility when they level accusations against journalists and the media," and that they are expected to "stop with aggressive and inflammatory speech, which could result in threats to the security of journalists and incite tension and divisions in society."

"All citizens, including those in government, are entitled to criticize the media -- publicly or through self-regulatory and regulatory bodies, but the Serbian Journalists' Code of Ethics states that it is a reporter's job to ask questions of public interest and to view the government's decisions and actions through a critical lens," the Association's statement read.