Press Council of Kosovo protects YIHR
Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Kosovo has filed a complaint against the “Express” newspaper on a published article dated May 30, 2010 entitled: “Intimate Report”, in which article has been underestimated the work of YIHR and has been slandered about the motives and methodology used in the “State of Constriction?” report of author Alex Anderson which has been published by YIHR on May 24, 2010, by alleging that Mr. Anderson has slander in the YIHR report driven by personal motives. Moreover, YIHR has described that the use of private photography of Mr. Anderson in an article published in the newspaper “Express”, is considered as interference in Mr. Anderson’s private life.
The Press Council of Kosovo, in the meeting held on November 1st has found that “Express” newspaper has violated the Code of the Press by not reporting properly regarding the report published by Youth Initiative for Human Rights. In May this year, YIHR has published the “State of Constriction?”, a report on the governance and the freedom of speech in Kosovo. After this report has been published, the “Express” daily newspaper has published an article that is considered biased by the Council.
In the Council’s press release has been said that: “The Press Council of Kosovo in its today’s meeting, after examining the appeal of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights against the “Express” newspaper regarding the article entitled ” Intimate Report” dealing with an investigation of this NGO, about “public space limitations in Kosovo”, found that the “Express” newspaper has violated the Code of the Press, only in the second chapter of the Media Code, since the article did not include the stance of this report’s compiler, Mr. Alex Anderson. Other points of complaint relating to breach of privacy, the Council found that the publication of the photography of Mr. Anderson, in the manner shown in the newspaper, is not an insult, since the photo published in the newspaper was taken from Facebook and that this is not an infringement of privacy”.
