Duška Jurišić's defense of freedom of thought and speech: Disparaging a journalist live!

By: A. Čorbo-Zećo

"I know something about pressure on journalists. Those who exert pressure, censor, and threaten rarely leave traces, especially not by writing and sending "internal memos" to the media," said recently Duška Jurišić (Our Party), Deputy Minister for Human Rights and Refugees, regarding the "internal memo" of Our Party sent to the media concerning the case of the arrested minister of the Sarajevo Canton Government, Bojan Bošnjak (Our Party).

She emphasized that the "internal memo" for editors, journalists, and media was a mistake and foolishness.

And then she appeared on TV SA in the show 'Intervju' and demonstrated a lavish knowledge of pressure, majorization, and arrogant treatment of journalists. The former director of TV SA, from which position she became deputy minister, patronized the journalist-host on so many occasions that it can be concluded that any further public appearance of hers should be subject to scrutiny, and ultimately to the decision not to invite her to shows, at least until she proves she is a 'thinking being,' as she insultingly called the journalist himself last night.

That attitude of superiority, showing the journalist that she was "watching" or "teaching" him, was extremely disparaging and manipulative!

"There is no price I am not willing to pay for freedom of speech and protection of the media," claims Jurišić, but she demonstrates it completely differently in public.

Just like her party, which is liberal only for certain categories of society, Jurišić considers freedom of speech only what she and the representatives of Our Party say, while questions that interest the public, such as the potential reconstruction of the Sarajevo Canton Government, are a taboo topic for her.

Jurišić has not learned that politicians and public figures can patronize journalists by "explaining" or giving them instructions on how they should do their job, but this can be problematic because it deprives journalists of independence and freedom of reporting. And that has clearly been gone from TV SA for a long time.

"You will have to find another interlocutor for that. I see that it is interesting to you. And what do you think, should the Government be reconstructed?" said Jurišić with facial expressions that could convey a message to the journalist – which would read 'is it realistic that you are asking me that'.

Jurišić also tried to be a mentor, stating that the question was rhetorical, broad, that minutes had passed, and they had not achieved the desired effect!?

"You have set it up broadly and posed a rhetorical question, you know. A moment ago you said you didn't think, but I believe you are a thinking being, so regarding the reconstruction of the Sarajevo Canton Government that you are asking me about and have an answer, I have partially explained it through the answer to the question about Bojan Bošnjak," Jurišić stated, responding to the question about human rights, specifically whether they are respected in BiH.

The end of the show also passed in that spirit of arrogance and false politeness, when Jurišić said that the journalist had not asked her anything about TV SA, and then stated that perhaps it was better for him!?

It sounds like a threat served with a forced smile! We witnessed her engagement at TV SA (which never actually ended) for years, as the Trade Union of the Public Broadcasting Service Television Sarajevo and the Employee Council repeatedly sent letters to the governing structures of the Sarajevo Canton, in which they most sharply criticized the management of the Cantonal Television and accused director Jurišić of interfering with the editorial policy.

Nothing different from what we see today. Because last night, Jurišić tried to be the show's editor, openly asking the journalist to ask her something or not, and then concluding 'of course you can ask whatever you want'. Just as Our Party sent instructions to the media on how to write regarding the arrested minister from Our Party, and then covered themselves in ashes, and explained the inexplicable.

Editors, journalists, and part of the management of TV SA also wrote a letter in August 2024 to the deputies in the Assembly of the Sarajevo Canton and the ministers in the Sarajevo Canton Government, asking them to protect them from the executive director for program and production, Zerina Ćosić-Vrabac.

This is an executive director who was appointed to the position as a cadre of Our Party, namely precisely by the former director of TVSA, Duška Jurišić.

At that time, we learned that the imposition of Ćosić-Vrabac's will and her vision for the Television Sarajevo program had significantly stifled editorial, journalistic, and other authorial freedoms. We witnessed what that looks like in reality live last night, where Jurišić showed her attitude towards journalists.

In the end, the entire policy of Our Party has been reduced to an empty story in which they have nothing concrete to boast about, except for waving false liberalism without real value.