The Decision of the Press Council of Kosovo regarding the appeal of Jeta Xharra, the director of BIRN in Kosovo, against the newspaper “Epoka e Re”.
8 March 2008The Press Council of Kosovo – Prishtina, after reviewing the appeal of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, filed against the newspaper “Epoka e Re”, regarding the article “Is it not good to abuse with the name of ANA”, dated 21.01.2008, in the session held on 28.02.2008, took this:
D E C I S I O N
- The appeal is refused.
R E A S O N I N G
The Press Council of Kosovo, on 04.02.2008, received from the Balkan Investigative Report Network, an appeal against the newspaper “Epoka e Re”, regarding the article “it is not good to abuse with the name of ANA”. This appeal claims that the Press Code is violated and it is proposed to punish this newspaper.
The appealing claims do not stand.
The Press Council of Kosovo, considers that the newspaper “Epoka e Re”, in its published article “It is not good to abuse with the name of ANA”, of the author Milazim Zeka, has not violated the Press Code of Kosovo – Chapter II.
The information “Armed Groups are left in the shadow”, (published by BIRN in Internet), gives an analysis and a detailed explanation for the Albanian National Army (AKSH), which is a phenomena in the Kosovar society, and that the explanation of such phenomena is of the public and political interest. Therefore, it was good that the investigative journalism, published the article “The armed groups are left in the shadow”.
There was light shed on this issue trying to explain the character and the activity of the so called National Albanian Army, based on the testimonies and the mentioned informing sources. Therefore, the reader is given the opportunity to form a more accurate impression and idea on this issue. The published article is of informative character as foreseen by the Code of Press – Chapter Kreu II.
Meanwhile, the newspaper, “Epoka e Re”, in its article “It is not good to abuse with the name of ANA”, the author Milazim Zeka, tries to give a “critical” and reprehending oversight of the article published in internet under the title “Armed groups are left in the shadow”. That opinion, is described in the quality of being insulting and that such an article is “of anti-Albanian and pro-Serbian tendency”, and that this was the practice of Serbian propaganda regarding KLA, which called it a terrorist group.
The Press Council, considers that this article of the journalist Milazim Zeka, published in the newspaper “Epoka e Re”, does not represent the public opinion, but it is the expression of the individual viewpoints and assessments which are not sanctioned by Chapter II of the Code, since they are opinions which according to the democratic principle of freedom of speech and public intellectual communication, is allowed and the way it is written, not very plausible, contributes to the clashes of thoughts so the reader will know the truth in dimension as comprehensible as possible.
The newspaper “Epoka e Re” also published, without any changes, the answer of the journalist of BIRN, against the opinion of Milazim Zeka.
Therefore, it was decided as in the enacting clause.
Legal Remedy:
This decision is final.
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