Komsic's Office: Unprofessional Reporting by HINA and SRNA Does Not Contribute to Confronting Genocide

(Patria) - The Office of the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the Croatian people, Željko Komšić, hereby wishes to inform the public about inaccurate and selective claims by the Croatian News Agency (HINA) and the News Agency of Republika Srpska (SRNA), regarding a press release from the Office of the BiH Presidency member from the Croatian people, titled: "Chairman of the BiH Presidency Željko Komšić met in New York with Adam Dieng, UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide".

Reporting on the aforementioned meeting, the Croatian News Agency (HINA) misinformed the public by publishing a headline with the following content: "Komšić told UN official that Croatia denies genocide committed in the NDH".

Upon reviewing the press release from the Office of the BiH Presidency member from the Croatian people, it is clear that HINA misinformed the public.

The press release explicitly states the following:

"Chairman Komšić highlighted the absurd fact that, with astonishing persistence, even today in the RS entity, the genocide committed against Bosniaks in Srebrenica and Podrinje is institutionally denied, but also that, primarily in neighboring Croatia, through the public and political activities of individuals, the crime of genocide against Serbs, Roma, and Jews in World War II within the quisling entity NDH is denied."

HINA's headline, which claims that Chairman of the BiH Presidency Željko Komšić stated that Croatia denies the genocide committed in the NDH, is completely inaccurate and unprofessional.

The press release states that: "in neighboring Croatia, through the public and political activities of individuals, the crime of genocide against Serbs, Roma, and Jews in World War II within the quisling entity NDH is denied."

A professional and responsible journalist and editor does not need a special explanation that the public and political activities of individuals do not represent the stance and position of the state of Croatia on the said issue, as HINA suggests. Therefore, the above assessment by Chairman Komšić cannot be linked to the position of the Republic of Croatia regarding the genocide against Serbs, Roma, and Jews during the NDH, because the press release explicitly emphasizes that "individuals (who are not the state) deny the crime of genocide against Serbs, Roma, and Jews in World War II within the quisling entity NDH".

Therefore, HINA's headline is unprofessional and sensationalist.

The News Agency of Republika Srpska (SRNA), also reporting on the same press release, in its news item titled: "Komšić: Unacceptable Denial of Genocide", completely omitted, for professionally inexplicable reasons, the following part of the statement: "but also that, primarily in neighboring Croatia, through the public and political activities of individuals, the crime of genocide against Serbs, Roma, and Jews in World War II within the quisling entity NDH is denied", end of quote.

SRNA selectively informs the public in its news item by highlighting the following:

The press release from the BiH Presidency states that Komšić said during the meeting in New York that in Republika Srpska "the genocide committed against Bosniaks in Srebrenica and Podrinje is institutionally denied", end of quote.

The Office of the BiH Presidency member from the Croatian people considers that SRNA selectively conveyed the press release for professionally inexplicable, but politically explicable reasons. For the same unprofessional reasons as HINA did.

Unlike some other offices, the Office of the BiH Presidency member from the Croatian people does not have a practice of denying statements by Chairman Komšić. We are not doing so through this press release either. We only wish to emphasize that unprofessional, sensationalist, and politically biased journalism does not contribute to confronting genocide and its consequences.

In that sense, the Office of the BiH Presidency member from the Croatian people calls on the Croatian News Agency and the News Agency of Republika Srpska to take part in the UN project on genocide prevention and restore their professional credibility, because the role of the media is very significant in that process.