Acting upon a complaint regarding the violation of the I principle of the Journalists' Code of Ethics in the article “Scandinavia Prepares for War: Citizens Receive Brochures on How to Defend Themselves and Stock Supplies”, published on 18 November 2024 on the portal Analitika, the Complaints Commission of the Media Council for Self-Regulation issues the following decision:
The Complaints Commission did not find that the portal Analitika failed to take all measures to ensure it publishes accurate and verified information. The Complaints Commission of the Media Council for Self-Regulation does not have a mandate to investigate the accuracy of individual claims or to conduct independent investigations. Its role is to determine whether the journalist or media outlet took all necessary steps to ensure the publication of accurate and verified information.
In this specific case, the Commission found that the portal Analitika reproduced the article “Scandinavia Prepares for War: Citizens Receive Brochures on How to Defend Themselves and Stock Supplies” from media outlets recognized as reputable and highly professional. The Commission also noted that no one had subsequently refuted the information published by the media sources cited.
For all these reasons, the Commission did not find a violation of any principles of the Code of Journalists in the article under complaint.
Reasoning
The Media Council for Self-Regulation received a complaint from a reader signing as Adnan regarding the article published on the portal Analitika on 18 November last year. The article was titled “Scandinavia Prepares for War: Citizens Receive Brochures on How to Defend Themselves and Stock Supplies.”
In his complaint, Adnan, who emphasized that he lives in Sweden, stated, among other things, that the article mentioned: “brochures with instructions for wartime or crisis procedures were distributed to Swedes, Finns, and Norwegians. It specifically highlighted that millions of Swedes receive pamphlets advising how to prepare for and cope with war or unexpected crises. ‘If war or crisis occurs,’ the instructions were last updated by the Swedish Government six years ago, the text also says. It is also claimed that the population is now receiving new instructions due to the deteriorating security situation, primarily because of the war in Ukraine. The article also mentions Norway and Finland and similar measures.”
The complainant further stated: “Since I live in Sweden, I want to point out several inaccuracies in the published article. It is not true that anyone in Sweden is preparing for war, nor are any pamphlets being published for this purpose. What is true is that there is a specific government institution dealing with various societal crises and how the population should best prepare. This includes procurement of reserves, medical supplies, and other materials. They also provide guidance on how every household should organize in such situations. I also want to emphasize that this is not a pamphlet but a brochure that was recently updated and does not mention war, nor does it have any political context.
Articles written in this manner not only convey inaccurate information but also create a kind of emergency situation that may or may not cause a sense of panic. I believe it is always necessary to verify information before publishing,” the complaint concludes.
The Media Council for Self-Regulation requested a statement from the Analitika editorial team regarding this complaint. The response of Rosanda Mučalica, Editor-in-Chief of the portal Analitika, is reproduced in full:
“I consider the complaint about the article ‘Scandinavia Prepares for War: Citizens Receive Brochures on How to Defend Themselves and Stock Supplies’ unfounded. Analitika reproduced it from the portal N1. This media outlet refers to the British public broadcaster, BBC, which we consider credible enough for articles of this type, which are supported by a photograph of the mentioned brochure (illustrating the article we reproduced), and therefore do not require additional verification.
Furthermore, the article only once uses the word ‘pamphlet,’ which is criticized; however, the term ‘brochure’ appears in the article’s title and several times in the text.
No inaccurate information was published, and the article’s purpose was not to create a ‘kind of emergency situation,’ but to inform readers how, in the context of geopolitical developments, developed countries such as Sweden advise citizens to prepare for and cope with possible war or unexpected crises, which is the subject of the mentioned brochure.”
After receiving the statement from Analitika, the Complaints Commission analyzed all articles reproduced from different media outlets. The analysis established that the original text was published in English on the BBC website and later translated by the N1 portal. On several Montenegrin portals, this article was taken from N1, including Analitika, which cited N1 as the source.
The Complaints Commission of the Media Council for Self-Regulation does not have a mandate to investigate the accuracy of individual claims or to conduct independent investigations. Its role is to determine whether the journalist or media outlet took all steps to ensure the publication of accurate information. In this case, the Commission found that the portal Analitika reproduced the article “Scandinavia Prepares for War: Citizens Receive Brochures on How to Defend Themselves and Stock Supplies” from media outlets recognized as reputable and highly professional. The Commission also noted that no one had subsequently refuted the information published by the cited sources.
Based on the above, the Complaints Commission did not find that the portal Analitika failed to take all measures to ensure the publication of accurate and verified information. For all these reasons, the Commission did not find a violation of any principles of the Code of Journalists in the article “Scandinavia Prepares for War: Citizens Receive Brochures on How to Defend Themselves and Stock Supplies.”
Monitoring and Complaints Commission
Aneta Spaić
Sonja Drobac
Danilo Burzan
Branko Vojičić
Ranko Vujović
