Reaction to Sasa Trifunovic's article ’Recipient of the "Dusan Bogavac" Journalistic Award Rudely Insults Colleagues’

Miroslav Radulovic, the founder of Borske Novine newspaper

On Friday, 9 September, an article authored by Sasa Trifunovic was published on your web site. The article is full of malice, hatred and unfairness and I cannot understand how you had allowed yourselves to be manipulated and cheated by him. I want to emphasize that Sasa Trifunovic has never worked professionally in the field of journalism; instead, during all this time he has been nothing more than a contributor to various web sites. He works as an operator of boilers in the Faculty of Bor. Consequently, I am puzzled by the fact that you perceive him as an authority on certain issues and a "representative of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS)" for Eastern Serbia. At the same time, let me point out that I became a member of NUNS in 1995, a month after its founding, at the time when Mr. Trifunovic had no idea about the meaning of NUNS.

I would not have reacted had you not mentioned the "Dusan Bogavac" award. Why did you accept such a letter from Sasa Trifunovic? What has the late Dusan Bogavac – and the award I am extremely proud of – got to do with Sasa Trifunovic's opinion? I decided to quit the membership after people like Sasa Trifunovic became journalists and I don't see how the Court of Honor relates to me in any way. I will be held accountable before a regular court, not before your web site and Sasa Trifunovic.

Perhaps I could be expelled from NUNS by the Court of Honor. I would not be surprised by such development. However, before the Court decides to expel me from an organization whose member I have not been since the day Sasa Trifunovic became one of its officials, the Court must first establish the facts: whom I insulted, who recognized themselves in the article etc. What is certain, is the fact that I mentioned Mrs. Sladjana Djurdjekanovic Miric – who was "exposed" by Sasa Trifunovic himself – in an article published in Borske Novine newspaper one month ago. She was very satisfied with the interview. How is it possible that she recognized herself in another article, although she was not mentioned in any way? Why is she being defended by Sasa Trifunovic and in a way that amounts to an attack on the "Dusan Bogavac" award – the award that he could only dream of winning? My colleagues, please tell me how it happened that you published a letter that clearly proved a hatred of a part-time journalist toward his colleague who has spend 40 years as a professional journalist? Why did you do that, my colleagues? Had I been convicted of a crime, such an act would have been justified, although even in such a case you would have been obliged to ask me to offer a comment, to protect me, or to criticize me. Your actions have nothing to do with fair-play.

In the end, I want to add that this case is related to much bigger issues, the immoral behavior and the lack of professionalism of certain journalists. For example, a recently-founded newspaper, Borski Problem, published an article about the village of Krusar three months ago. The village does not exist and it was made up by the editorial office of Borski Problem. Similarly, the same newspaper published a comment claiming that Bor was pronounced a city in 1933 instead of 1947, as I had claimed and which was true. This is gunpoint journalism. My response to this claim was to publish the Official Gazette with the list of cities that was issued in 1933. The list does not include Bor. In the previous year, Borski Problem began publishing a series of articles entitled "The History of Bor". The first article described how the member of the Socialist Party removed me from my apartment, together with a child suffering from cerebral palsy. This event was supposed to be relevant to the history of Bor. Of course, the article featured my picture as well. Let me also point out that Borski Problem owes 300,000 dinars to its printing company (perhaps the amount has changed in the meantime).

Instead of continuing to write, I ask you to publish my response to the disgraceful article you had published earlier, in accordance with the Law on Information.

Miroslav Radulovic, the editor-in-chief of Borske Novine
9 September 2011

MC Newsletter,
September 23, 2011

Sasa Trifunovic: Recipient of journalistic award Dusan Bogavac rudely insults colleagues