prijava
SARAJEVO, April 14 (FENA) - The Board of Directors of the BH Journalists Association expresses public protest over the extremely inappropriate and insulting behavior of the presidents of the Social Democratic Party of BiH (SDPBiH) and the People and Justice Party (NiP), Nermin Nikšić and Elmedin Konaković towards media representatives in the Sarajevo Canton.
The Association of BH Journalists states that the N1 Sarajevo TV published on its web portal that in a very arrogant manner, the SDP President Nermin Nikšić stopped N1 journalist Sunčica Šehić on the way out of the hall after the press conference, holding her hand and holding her back. He reiterated that she was "pittiful" because of the questions she asked at the press conference.
Reporter Šehić's questions yesterday were also disliked by the NiP President Elmedin Konaković, who told the journalist, among other things, that she was "nervous" and "angry that she left TVSA" and that, as Konaković concluded, she was "venting out her frustrations on him".
Inappropriate and uncultured attitude toward journalists is not alien to the Prime Minister of the Sarajevo Canton as well. The President of Our Party Edin Forto recently, as a guest on TVSA in the show "Polis", angrily said to the journalist: "Do you hear yourself what you are asking?"
The statement points out that representatives of the government and political parties that are part of the ruling coalition, as well as the opposition, are increasingly reacting with insults and humiliation of journalists who are only looking for answers to questions of public interest directly related to citizens of Sarajevo Canton and the country as a whole.
Journalists from the BH Association remind Nikšić, Konaković and Forto that the basic task of journalism is to critically consider the actions and decisions of the government and all public officials, and contribute to greater public accountability and transparency of elected officials.
Particularly indicative and worrying is the fact that the named politicians in these cases treated journalists in a primitive way and with their misogynistic vocabulary, who, in addition to professional attacks, are most often exposed to verbal violence precisely because they are women.
According to the Helpline for Journalists, close to 70 attacks and threats against female journalists in BiH have been registered in the last three years.
That number speaks of a rapid increase in gender-based violence against female journalists, and it is alarming that politicians and other public officials are among the attackers in almost half of the cases.
(FENA) S. R.
