We Sympathise with the Mother, but Patria Did Not Publish the Text It Is Accused of in Its Letter

The editorial board of the Patria news agency sympathises with Alisa Mahmutović and her family over the loss of her son and the tragedy that has befallen them. We fully understand the despair of a mother and the heartbreaking letter she wrote, which was published by almost all media outlets.

However, primarily for human, and then for professional reasons, we must respond. In the letter she sent to the media, among others, Alisa Mahmutović, listing the media that reported on her son's suicide, stated:

“The Patria agency went perhaps the furthest in its lies. They published an obituary, meaning the victim's name. That criminal act is the only truth in their report. Everything else is a vile lie.”

We repeat, we sympathise with the pain of mother Alisa, but we also want to tell the public that we are not media vultures, nor will we ever be. Patria did not publish an obituary at all, nor the child's identity, nor the text for which the agency is accused by mother Mahmutović.

We respected all legal provisions and principles of journalistic ethics in the case of reporting on minors. A major error, oversight, confusion occurred... which damaged the reputation of Patria and the entire editorial team, thereby also calling our human side into question.

The text that devastated the mother was published by the portal Doznajemo. In its text, in just one sentence, the journalist of that portal also refers to Patria, stating that it reported on the case of the unfortunate boy. Everything else is their original text. Unfortunately, reading the text, the grieving mother got the impression that Patria was the author of the entire text.

Once again, we extend our condolences to the mother and the entire family, and we wish that no child in this city and country ever experiences what her son did.

   Editorial Board