Mr. Adnan Burazerovic - portal saff.ba, 26.06.2014

Number: 228-02/14

Date: 26.06.2014

ADJUDICATION

of the Complaints Commission of the Press Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina

on the complaint of Mr. Adnan Burazerovic regarding the article “Scandal: By Placing the Statue of the Saint Pope, the Catholic Church will turn the Sarajevo Center into its Sanctuary”, published on the portal saff.ba on 24.03.2014

COMPLAINT UPHELD

Breaches of the Press Code of BiH

General Provisions

Article 2 - Editorial Responsibility

Article 3 - Incitement

Article 4 - Discrimination

Article 5 - Accuracy and Fair Reporting

Article 6 - Comment, Assumption and Fact

The Complaints Commission finds that

 the majority of the article is filled with assumptions and speculations, without any facts.

It is obvious that the article is deliberately, premeditatedly and manipulatively published with the aim of inciting and spreading intolerance towards members of a religious community.

Mr. Adnan Burazerovic turned to the Press Council and the editorial staff of the portal saff.ba regarding the article “Scandal: By Placing the Statue of the Saint Pope, the Catholic Church will turn the Sarajevo Center into its Sanctuary”, published on the portal saff.ba on 24.03.2014, indicating that it presents “classic hate speech and Fascism”.

Mr. Burazerovic’s complaint regards the article where, amongst else, the following is published: “Do Sarajevo’s Bosniaks and the Islamic Community in BiH know what Sarajevo will get when the three meter statue of the Pope John Paul II occupies the space in front of the Cathedral? The Catholic Church in BiH knows what it is doing; they know that by placing the statue in the heart of Sarajevo, they will make their new sanctuary, a new Medjugorije. It is know that Catholics, as well as other Christians, love statues of saints. When they put up a three meter statute of the saint Pope in the center of Sarajevo, the Catholics will swarm from all sides to circle the saint’s statue on their knees. Thus, in the heart of Sarajevo, in the open, Catholic religious procession will continuously take place. We do not need to doubt that the part of town around the Cathedral, and the statue, will due to commercialization be completely Catholicized. It is difficult to estimate now what will happen then. However, the Bosniaks had always a soft-spot for money. The Catholic Church knows this well, and that is why they will play this card to dominate that space.”   

The Complaints Commission of the Press Council in BiH, on its session held on 26.06.2014, considered Mr. Burazerovic’s complaint, the article “Scandal: By Placing the Statue of the Saint Pope, the Catholic Church will turn the Sarajevo Center into its Sanctuary” and found breaches of the Press Code of BiH.

The Complaints Commission of the Press Council in BiH finds that the article “Scandal: By Placing the Statue of the Saint Pope, the Catholic Church will turn the Sarajevo Center into its Sanctuary” presents religious diversity in BiH in a manipulative manner, as a mockery and as a threat to the other religious and national community.

The Complaints Commission finds that the majority of the article is filled with assumptions and speculations, without any facts.

The title “Scandal: By Placing the Statue of the Saint Pope, the Catholic Church will turn the Sarajevo Center into its Sanctuary”, constitutes inciting speech with the aim of spreading intolerance towards an ethnic and religious group.

Further, statements in the article, such as: “…the three meter statue of the Pope John Paul II occupies the space in front of the Cathedral?”; “Not one Bosniak official, political or religious, dares to say anything against the building of the statue which will turn the city center into a mockery and a Catholic sanctuary”; “What will happen when the Catholics start swarming towards their saint and when the Catholic Church starts Christianizing the center of Sarajevo”; “We are certain that even then there will be no Bosniaks who will dare to say anything against it”, constitute hate speech and the spread of intolerance, offensive allusions to someone’s ethnicity and religion.

Thus, Article 2 - Editorial Responsibility, Article 3 - Incitement, Article 4 - Discrimination, Article 5 - Accuracy and Fair Reporting, Article 6 - Comment, Assumption and Fact, as well as General Provisions of the Press Code of BiH are breached.

The publication of such content breaches Article 2 - Editorial Responsibility of the Press Code of BiH.

It is obvious that the article is deliberately, premeditatedly and manipulatively published with the aim of inciting and spreading intolerance.

General Provisions, of the Press Code of BiH: “Journalists of print and online media in Bosnia and Herzegovina (“journalists” further in the text) have an obligation to the public to maintain high ethical standards at all times and under all circumstances. It is the duty of journalists and publishers of print and online media to respect the needs of citizens for useful, timely and relevant information and to defend the principles of freedom of information and the right to fair comments and critical journalism. Journalists shall abide by commonly accepted social standards of decency and respect for ethnic, cultural and religious diversity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Journalists shall abide by standards of human rights defined by international and BiH acts on human rights. Journalists shall develop the awareness of gender equality and the respect of individuality as the integral part of human rights. Journalists shall protect the rights of the individual, while at the same time upholding the right to information in the public interest. This Code is to be interpreted in light of both aforementioned definitions.”

Article 2 - Editorial Responsibility, of the Press Code of BiH: “It is the highest responsibility of reporters and editors to ensure, in all their work, respect for factual truth and the right of the public to know the truth. Journalists shall at all times perform their work in the spirit of fairness, honesty and civility when collecting information, reporting and presenting opinions. Plagiarism, falsification, deliberate suppression of facts and acceptance of bribes or favors which could influence the work of a reporter or editor are this profession's gravest moral offences.”

Article 3 – Incitement, of the Press Code of BiH: “Journalists shall at all times be aware of the danger that arises when media, through hate speech, encourage discrimination and intolerance. Mindful of this danger, journalists shall do their utmost not to incite and/or inflame hatred and/or inequality based on ethnicity, nationality, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical disability or mental state. Journalists shall under no circumstances incite criminal acts or violence.”

Article 4 – Discrimination, of the Press Code of BiH: “Journalists must avoid prejudicial or insulting references to a person's ethnic group, nationality, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical disability or mental state. References to a person's ethnic group, nationality, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical disability or mental state shall be made only when directly relevant to the occurrence being reported.”

Article 5 - Accuracy and Fair Reporting, of the Press Code of BiH: “Journalists shall not publish inaccurate or misleading material in the form of pictures, texts or other materials. Pictures and documents must not be falsified and/or used in a misleading manner. Journalists shall not conceal and/or withhold any essential information, the disclosure of which would materially affect the interpretation of a report published and the general readers’ understanding. Journalists have the professional obligation to promptly correct any published information that is found to be inaccurate. The apology and/or correction shall be published with due emphasis. Journalists shall always report truthfully and accurately about the outcome of an action undertaken as a result of defamation they were involved in. Journalist shall report only on the basis of facts, the origin of which is known to the journalists. In reporting and commenting controversy, journalists shall make an effort to hear and represent all sides in a conflict. If one side in a controversy refuses to make itself available to the journalist, the publication may legitimately note this refusal in its reporting.”

Article 6 - Comment, Conjecture and Fact, of the Press Code of BiH: “Journalists, while free to express their own views, must distinguish clearly between a comment, a conjecture and a fact.”

Members of the Complaints Commission: Chair, Prof. Miodrag Živanović, PhD; Judge Nada Arsenić; Docent Enes Osmančević, PhD; Editor Fuad Kovačević; Attorney Dražen Zubak; Journalist Muhamed Jusić; Docent Zlatiborka Popov Momčinović, PhD and Journalist Milan Šutalo.

Chair of the Complaints Commission
Prof. Miodrag Živanović, PhD

Saff.ba