The Autonomous Women’s Center has filed a complaint with the Press Council against media portals Mondo, Alo, Dnevno, Novosti, Luftika, Niske Vesti, Telegraf, Nova, Informer, and Pink due to their reporting on a rape case Nis that has been reported to police.
We requested that the Press Council deliberate on whether these portals violated the Journalists’ Code of Ethics by publishing an almost identical text on January 6th 2023 which stated that a woman from Leskovac who reported a case of (gang) rape in Nis to authorities, did it to “get revenge on an ex boyfriend”, that she has “a tendency to drink”, and that the man whom she accused of sexual violence was “very cooperative and convincing”, that “there was no suspicion at all that he had caused her any harm”. All of this information had in fact come from unnamed sources which makes it possible to doubt their veracity.
Our complaint also notes that media reports conducted in such a manner as to get into uncorroborated and unnecessary details (despite the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ statement that this was a false allegation case) may have long-term consequences to the woman in question but also to all other women who have either survived or will survive sexual violence, because it diminishes public empathy for victims, disbelieving their testimony and reducing the damage inflicted by sex crimes.
The complaint is available on this link (in Serbian).
