Newsroom
Kosovo newspaper fined, two others warned by Temporary Media Commissioner
PRISTINA 21 July 2000
PRISTINA, 21 July 2000 - The Temporary Media Commissioner (TMC) has imposed a 25,000 DM fine on the daily newspaper "Dita", and issued warnings to two other Kosovo publications - "Rilindja" and the weekly women's magazine "Kosovarja" - for breaches of Article 4.1 of Regulation 2000/37 On the Conduct of the Print Media.
"Dita" has been fined for repeated violations of the regulation, which prohibits publications from publishing personal details that might put an individual's security or life at risk. On 4 July last, "Dita" published the names and addresses of several individuals it described as war criminals and accompanied its charges with photographs.
The two other publications also received warning letters for similar breaches of the print media regulation.
The Comissioner, Mr Douglas Davidson, Director of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Department of Media Affairs, emphasized that such sanctions are not aimed at undermining investigative crime reporting by the print media or at infringing the public's right to know. But he stressed that press reports dealing with criminal activities must not themselves put anyone's life or security in danger.
"There are a range of means that journalists can use to protect someone's identity without sacrificing the accuracy of the content of their article or their duty to provide the facts to the public," he said.
UNMiK Regulation 2000/37 On the Conduct of the Print Media in Kosovo, which the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Dr. Bernard Kouchner signed on June 17th, reinforces basic principles upheld in European democracies: everyone has the right to expect that allegations made against them will be investigated by the proper judicial authorities and everyone must be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The regulation is envisaged as a temporary measure pending effective self-regulation of the print media.
For further information, contact OSCE Spokesperson Roland Bless Tel: (+381-38) 500-162 or satphone: 871-762-009-948 ext. 260 / mobile: (+389-70) 250-576 / email: [email protected], //www.osce.org/kosovo/
"Dita" has been fined for repeated violations of the regulation, which prohibits publications from publishing personal details that might put an individual's security or life at risk. On 4 July last, "Dita" published the names and addresses of several individuals it described as war criminals and accompanied its charges with photographs.
The two other publications also received warning letters for similar breaches of the print media regulation.
The Comissioner, Mr Douglas Davidson, Director of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Department of Media Affairs, emphasized that such sanctions are not aimed at undermining investigative crime reporting by the print media or at infringing the public's right to know. But he stressed that press reports dealing with criminal activities must not themselves put anyone's life or security in danger.
"There are a range of means that journalists can use to protect someone's identity without sacrificing the accuracy of the content of their article or their duty to provide the facts to the public," he said.
UNMiK Regulation 2000/37 On the Conduct of the Print Media in Kosovo, which the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Dr. Bernard Kouchner signed on June 17th, reinforces basic principles upheld in European democracies: everyone has the right to expect that allegations made against them will be investigated by the proper judicial authorities and everyone must be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The regulation is envisaged as a temporary measure pending effective self-regulation of the print media.
For further information, contact OSCE Spokesperson Roland Bless Tel: (+381-38) 500-162 or satphone: 871-762-009-948 ext. 260 / mobile: (+389-70) 250-576 / email: [email protected], //www.osce.org/kosovo/