The Media Council for Self-Regulation received a complaint from Stevan Simijanović regarding the manner in which several Montenegrin media reported on the criminal proceedings against him.
In the part of the appeal that refers to the reporting of the Vijesti portal, the applicant cited the text "Simijanović wrongfully sentenced to six months in prison", , published on October 3, 2025, emphasizing that in this case, according to his assessment, the provisions of the Code of Journalists were violated of Montenegro, especially with regard to the presumption of innocence and the manner of reporting on court proceedings.
Acting on the complaint, the Media Council for Self-Regulation informed the applicant that the Vijesti portal is not a member of the Media Council for Self-Regulation, and that the Council, in accordance with its scope and competences, is not able to consider complaints related to the reporting of that media.
It was explained to the complainant that in cases where the complaint refers to media that are not members of the Council, it is recommended to address the internal mechanisms of self-regulation of those media, primarily their ombudsperson.
In this regard, the Media Council for Self-Regulation provided the complainant with the contact details of the ombudsman of the daily newspaper Vijesti, so that he could contact that media and request consideration of the allegations from the complaint as part of their internal procedure.
Ranko Vujović
Executive Secretary
Media council for self-regulation
