I was shocked. I feel ashamed. Last night was the 2nd time in my life when I thought it was time for me to leave the journalism. It is no longer a profession that I learned from the old wolves, everyone is doing it now. Reporting news crews on the terrorist act in Rajlovac near Sarajevo shamed the journalists, journalists’ associations, regulators and ultimately the department where the journalists who made amateur mistakes studied.
From the moment it was known that Enes Omeragic shot the visitors of the bookmakers near the Armed Forces barracks in Rajlovac, the race for sensation started and the basic rules of the profession were lost.
First of all, it was announced in the live broadcasting that Omeragic is a member of the Selefi movement and that he was shouting “Allahu Akbar” while shooting. Witnesses later stated that something like that never happened.
Next statement of the reporters was that Omeragic was on the Syrian battlefield. Almost naive sounds the testimony of his grandma that he could not be in Syria because there was not a day that he did not stopped by her house, every night for the past 3 years. Omeragic’s son in law was indeed in Syria, but it never occurred to the journalists to check these information before the announcement that the killer has the experience of “radical islamic soldier.”
Journalists, or at least those who are representing themselves like that, immediately after finding out about the crime, announced the full identity of the perpetrator and his address. I cannot even imagine what would happen if the people, horrified by the attacks committed, started gathering outside the house of the killer. Reporters have compromised family members Omeragic, for which was later found out that they do not support what Enes did.
I am ashamed of victims’ families and I sympathize with their anger. The names of the victims that were killed were released before their loved ones were even contacted. I hardly believe that fellow “journalists” would support this kind of reporting if it was someone close to them. It is very basic of journalistic ethics.
The camera was following the grieving person without her consent, with cameraman trying to give detailed view of grieving of relatives, with instructions from the crowd of journalists to hold the person in the frame as long as possible. This was something the most shameful that I have seen and heard in my carrier as a journalist.
The series of errors was continued. It was insisted on the qualification of the crime as a terrorist act while not even basic information about the crime were even known. Despite the continuing repetition of representatives of various institutions that the investigation is ongoing and that the Prosecutor will give qualification of the crime, journalists made the verdict. It went to the point that the Deputy Minister of Defense was asked to confirm that it was terrorist act.
Then it was reported that the killer’s father name is Hasan, not Sahin, and that his mother is allegedly employed in the sportsbook in which he committed the crime, and women is no longer living for years.
One of the witnesses that is appearing in all the media, told that Enes Omeragic approached him and asked him to forgive him just before he committed suicide. The press reports did not specify that the mentioned witness on the question whether Enes was carrying a gun at the moment, said: “I do not know, I was drunk.” Testimony, however, was published anyways.
The killer, as reported just before midnight, blew himself up with explosive. The facts show that the Omeragic committed suicide using a hand grenade. Those who spent the war in B&H or at least know something about weapons can easily recognize the difference between the consequences of the explosion of hand grenade and explosive device.
I can continue stating mistakes that journalists, or at least those who are calling themselves as that, committed during reporting on this terrorist act. I do not know whether it would make any sense.
Editorial offices should make a serious analysis of these few hours of their programs. It is obvious that the journalist’s code should be placed on a visible place in the media headquarters and would not either hurt to give copy to those who are doing this work. Journalist associations should finally deal with the basis of journalism. The regulatory agency should conduct an investigation and punish those who have violated the rules and codes of journalistic reporting. Professor of journalism have to tighten the criteria on the examinations of journalistic ethics.
(Source: novovrijeme.ba)
