BIRODI asks SBB, Yettel and Telekom who is responsible for distributing Informer TV hate speech

Zoran Gavrilovic, executive director of Serbia’s Bureau for Social Research, has challenged the country’s largest cable and telecommunications providers over their distribution of Informer TV.

In an open letter, Gavrilovic asked the management of SBB, Yettel Serbia and Telekom Srbija to examine their contracts with the channel and publicly state whether its programming complies with their ethical standards and corporate social responsibility policies.

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You are key channels of communication that shape the information people receive.

He argued that operators are more than technical conduits because their networks bring media content to hundreds of thousands of households. Informer TV’s daily programming, he said, shows systematic violations of journalistic and ethical standards, media legislation and Article 51 of Serbia’s Constitution. He accused the channel of exposing viewers to hate speech, insults, dehumanisation and attacks on individuals.

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However, the principle of distributor neutrality cannot extend to violations of the Law on Electronic Media, the Law on Public Information and Media, or the bylaws governing media service providers.

Gavrilovic acknowledged that operators often point to technical neutrality and contractual obligations to content providers. But he said that neutrality cannot justify distributing programming that breaches Serbia’s electronic media law, public information and media law, or the journalists’ code of ethics. He also said the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media’s inactivity does not absolve the operators of responsibility.

Gavrilovic said he had appeared on Informer to give its editors an opportunity to comply with those standards, but that the appearance confirmed for him that the channel was unwilling or unable to do so. He said operators’ right to profit must be balanced with citizens’ right to comprehensive, timely and accurate information, warning that carrying such content can lend it legitimacy and provide resources.

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Your right to make a profit must go hand in hand with respect for Serbia’s media laws, the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics and citizens’ constitutional right to comprehensive, timely and accurate information.