The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) protested the statement of the Minister of Health Zlatibor Lončar in which more media accuses them of spreading false news, causing anxiety and panic and considers them unacceptable because "they can also be a reason for violence against the media".
UNS reported that Lončar stated that there is no injured 16-year-old child who is fighting for his life because his kidneys have failed, accusing N1, Nova S, Vreme and Danas of publishing fake news.
He hopes, as he said, "that the citizens of Serbia have understood that there are people and media that lie, not only that it is a lie but also the spread of panic," the statement reads.
"The Ministry will file a criminal complaint against those people for spreading panic. I ask all citizens of Serbia to know that when news comes from N1, Nova S, Vremena, Danasa that they are pure lies, time has shown that so far," said Lončar.
UNS also reported that Lončar said: "'They crossed every border and that is the scenario of color revolutions - they lie and cause anxiety and panic. Everything is a lie, part of the color revolution, it is up to you to judge what you want to read and what not to read'".
Shameful and slanderous speech of Zlatibor Lončar
UNS pointed out that "no one, not even the minister, has the right to flatly accuse any media of allegedly spreading only lies".
The statement also says that everyone has the right to be dissatisfied with the work of the media, but that if they want to express that dissatisfaction in an appropriate way, then they have the obligation to either deny exactly certain information or to contact the regulatory bodies, i.e. the court, about certain information.
UNS stated that readers, listeners, viewers and history will show "who from the media and political sphere in this region lied the most."
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