Press Council: Refrain from hate speech and war-mongering slogans

Incendiary rhetoric, hate speech and war-mongering slogans, threats and insults on ethnic grounds have flooded the front pages of certain media in BiH and neighbouring countries, creating panic and great anxiety among the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Complaints Commission of the Press Council in BiH issues an appeal and warning to editors and journalists of print and online media in BiH to adhere to the professional reporting standards set out in the Code of Conduct for Print and Online Media in BiH, and not to succumb to political pressures and the spread of war-mongering rhetoric and hate speech. Journalists and editors should be aware of the power of the message they send through their media and their responsibility for published content.

The Code of Conduct for Print and Online Media in BiH, in its General Provisions, stipulates that journalists „... have an obligation to maintain high ethical standards towards the public at any time and under any circumstances!“. Journalists and editors have a responsibility in such situations of heightened tensions in the country not to contribute to the spread of panic and fear by publishing unverified and inaccurate information, speculation and assumptions.

When transmitting politicians' statements, journalists and editors are obliged to assess whether those statements are worth publishing and whether they are in the public interest or in the interest and achievement of the goals of a particular political option. The Commission also appeals to owners of print and online media in BiH to be aware of the danger they may inadvertently cause by publishing sensationalist front pages and texts to increase circulation and click numbers, thereby violating the codes of the journalistic profession. The consequences of such inflammatory headlines have, unfortunately, been experienced by this region in the recent past.

The Complaints Commission of the Press Council in BiH appeals to owners of print and online media, editors and journalists not to allow themselves to be drawn into political games and become servants of daily political and war-mongering games, repeating the mistakes of the '90s.