B92 reporter insulted by minister is now harassed online

B92 reporter insulted by minister is now harassed online

Meanwhile, the ruling Serb Progressive Party (SNS) branch in the town of Krusevac has accused the journalist of being "instructed to provoke the minister."

Labovic has received insults and has been subjected to hate speech on Facebook and Twitter, prompting B92 to react, considering this an obligation, but also one of the professional public, when a colleague is being made the victim twice. Gasic's sexist remark on Sunday that he "loves (female) journalists who keel easily" - that made the prime minister announce he could not stay keep his job - was made as the reporter was crouching, trying to give the cameras a clear view of the minister.

In a statement on Wednesday, B92 said that the hate speech comments and threats that the reporter has been subjected to since, could spill over from virtual to real life, and that this necessitated a reaction that unequivocally condemned such behavior, in order to avoid making her the victim a third time. "We believe that in this, and other similar situations of pressure exerted against journalists, the context must be kept in mind," the media outlet said.

And as the prime minister and SNS leader, Aleksandar Vucic, was speaking about the dismissal of Gasic - himself a high-ranking SNS official - saying that if MPs failed to sack Gasis, this would mean he is no longer the head of Serbia's government - the party's branch in the town of Krusevac, where Gasic was once mayor - said the journalist was to blame.

"Look at the footage (to see) how much free space she had. She did not directly provoke the minister, but we would like to know what to call such a stance in journalism. How would you feel if someone was in this position while you are looking straight into the camera," the party's news conference heard, as published on the website of the Krusevac SNS.

The Progressives argued that thus "fabricated lies" were aimed at "destabilizing the country," while "the tycoon-mafia lobby was behind everything" - and that this lobby "paid a couple of million euros to have Gasic removed from the post of defense minister."

"Gasic did not use pejoratives or curses. He did not even use the word 'hate,' but 'love'. And he is a man of flesh and blood. He apologized to her, as if he had, at the very least, told the journalist to kneel. As if she herself, with her position, had not humiliated her profession," the Progressives from Krusevac said.

B92 has not been able to obtain the video footage from this press conference - as of Wednesday afternoon, we are still waiting to receive this material from local TV Krusevac broadcaster.

The full transcript from the news conference was published on the website of the municipal committee of the SNS Krusevac - but was soon removed in its entirety.

The website's archive shows that the current practice is to post transcripts and video recordings from press conferences.

The footage from this news conference has not been posted on the SNS Krusevac YouTube channel either - but the Facebook page (in Serbian) contains images in a post dated December 9.

SNS distances itself from local branch

The SNS said on Wednesday afternoon that the claim of its local branch in Krusevac about the B92 reporter being "instructed to provoke Minister Gasic" was not the position of the party.

A statement said that the party was distancing itself from the statements made by Ivan Manojlovic, a member of the SNS information committee in Krusevac.

"The SNS considers SNS Vice-President Bratislav Gasic's remark made to journalist Labovic to have been inappropriate and indecent, and welcomes his repeated public apologies," the statement said.

During the news conference in Krusevac, Manojlovic said the Gasic was sacked because of "fabricated lies" and "a framed affair," that he said amounted to "destabilizing of the state."

Manojlovic also asserted Gasic's "friendly attitude toward journalists" entitled him to "joke a little" - and also asked "others" how they would feel if a woman journalist was "in that position, while they were looking straight into the camera."