By The Trade Union of Media of Montenegro strongly condemns the unacceptable and dangerous rhetoric of Democratic Montenegro MP Momčilo Leković, who publicly labeled certain media outlets in Montenegro—including E Television, Portal Analitika, M Portal, and Antena M—as “servants and protectors of the mafia.”
Such statements by high-ranking political officials represent a direct pressure on media freedom and a potential threat to the safety of journalists. Moreover, this kind of rhetoric—especially in a country where media workers are daily targets of threats—encourages a climate of lynching toward them.
It is particularly illustrative that this statement was made precisely on World Press Freedom Day, when Minister Tamara Vujović, a member of Leković’s own party, stated that “the media must be aware of their responsibility to the public, while those who hold political and economic power must understand that free media are not a threat, but a pillar of democracy.”
Media workers have the duty to report professionally and critically on all socially relevant topics, including the work of state institutions.
That is why the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro calls on all public officials to refrain from unsubstantiated and offensive accusations against the media and to promote, through their actions, the values of dialogue, freedom of expression, and respect for professional journalistic standards.
