The Media Center submitted a complaint to the portal Pobjeda, as well as to the Media Council for Self-Regulation, for violating Principle I of the Journalists' Code of Ethics by publishing the article “We cannot agree to surrender parts of our territory for one century in the name of rapid development”, which was published on May 13, 2025.
Since the Media Center also directly addressed the media outlet - the portal Pobjeda, which is a member of the Council, on May 14, 2025, and not only the Media Council for Self-Regulation, Pobjeda responded immediately upon receiving the complaint and removed the disputed photograph to which the complaint referred.
In its complaint, the Media Center stated that by illustrating the article “We cannot agree to surrender parts of our territory for one century in the name of rapid development” with photographs of Vanja Ćalović Marković and Genci Nimanbegu, the article implied her influence on the matter and encouraged the belief that she was an “Albanian lobbyist,” an accusation that has been made against her by certain lawyers.
After receiving the complaint, Pobjeda immediately removed the photograph in question and left only the image of Genci Nimanbegu accompanying the article, as confirmed in the statement the portal submitted to the Media Council for Self-Regulation.
Pobjeda confirmed that the article titled “We cannot agree to surrender parts of our territory for one century in the name of rapid development” was initially illustrated with a photograph taken by one of Pobjeda's photojournalists.
In the statement submitted to the Media Council for Self-Regulation, the portal noted that the journalist who authored the article had no intention of implying, suggestively or otherwise, any correlation between Vanja Ćalović Marković and any structures associated with any ethnic group.
“Aware that no such statements are made in the article itself, we distance ourselves from any claim suggesting there was intent to compromise the director of MANS. Out of respect for Vanja Ćalović Marković’s integrity, we revised the article and replaced the image illustrating it. The main photo accompanying the text was changed so that it now shows only Genci Nimanbegu,” Pobjeda’s statement read.
Alongside the removal of Vanja Ćalović Marković’s portrait, Pobjeda also published the Media Center’s complaint in a prominent position. The editorial board distanced itself from any claims of violating the Code or professional standards.
Since the Media Center addressed both the portal Pobjeda and the Media Council for Self-Regulation, and since Pobjeda promptly removed the photograph and published the Media Center’s complaint prominently, the Media Council’s Complaints Commission did not review the complaint, as the situation had already been resolved by the time the Commission convened.
The Media Council for Self-Regulation calls on complainants to submit future complaints in accordance with the prescribed procedure, directly to the Media Council for Self-Regulation, especially if the complaints concern Council members. This ensures that the Commission can properly consider potential violations of the Journalists’ Code of Ethics.
Monitoring and Complaints Commission
Aneta Spaić
Sonja Drobac
Danilo Burzan
Branko Vojičić
Ranko Vujović
