The Media Council for Self-Regulation received a complaint from Stevan Simijanović regarding the manner in which the ETV portal reported on the criminal proceedings against him.
In the complaint, the applicant states that in the reporting of several Montenegrin media there was a serious violation of the Code of Journalists of Montenegro.
As disputed content in relation to the ETV portal, the complaint states the text "THE FARCE CONTINUES: The hearing of Simijanović postponed to May 7?!" published on February 15, 2025.
The complainant points out that in several cases his personal documents and data were shown in full, without any reason that would justify the publication of the complete document number, the unique ID number of the citizen or the address in public. He states that such action was not necessary to inform the public, and that it leads to a direct threat to his safety and the possibility of identity abuse, as well as to additional stigmatization and labeling of him and his family.
The complaint states that several provisions of the Code of Journalists of Montenegro were violated by the said action, including the obligation to respect the privacy, dignity and integrity of the person being reported on, the obligation to respect the truth and avoid sensationalism, the obligation to respect the presumption of innocence, as well as the obligation to avoid unnecessary disclosure of personal data when it is not in the clear and predominant public interest.
Due to all of the above, the complainant requested that the Media Council for Self-Regulation initiate a procedure, investigate whether and to what extent the Code of Journalists of Montenegro was violated, and that after the procedure is carried out, it should issue an opinion and publicly state possible violations of professional standards, with a recommendation to the media to remove or modify the content in question and to refrain from similar practices in future reporting.
Acting on the complaint, the Media Council for Self-Regulation informed the applicant that it considers complaints exclusively in relation to the media that are its members. The Appeals Commission considered the appeal in relation to the ETV portal.
The Appeals Commission states that, according to Article 4 of the Rules of Procedure of the Appeals Commission, appeals can only be considered if they refer to program contents published no more than three months before the date of the appeal. Bearing in mind that the contested text was published in a period longer than three months before the date of filing the appeal, the Commission states that the procedural conditions for considering the appeal have ceased, and that the appeal cannot be considered in the merits part.
Bearing in mind the seriousness of the allegations in the complaint and the fact that it concerns the publication of personal documents and sensitive personal data, the Commission considers it necessary, regardless of the procedural obstacles to merit-based decision-making, to specifically point out the media's obligation to act in accordance with basic professional and ethical standards.
In accordance with its mediating role, the Media Council for Self-Regulation will send a recommendation to the ETV portal to remove or anonymize the content in which personal data, photos and scans of the complainant's personal documents are published, and to refrain from publishing personal data that is not necessary for the realization of a clear and predominant public interest in future reporting on criminal proceedings.
The commission notes that this decision does not consider the merits of the criminal proceedings, nor does it state the prices of the prosecutor's office or the court, but only considers the method of media reporting and possible compliance with the Code of Journalists of Montenegro.
Commission for Monitoring and Complaints
Aneta Spaić
Sonja Drobac
Danilo Burzan
Branko Vojičić
Ranko Vujović
