Together with the Croatian Journalists’ Association, we call on all media to ban the publication of comments below their stories on Friday, October 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Let this be the beginning of a common struggle against hate speech.
Things got out of hand. Hate speech that has so far mostly lingered in the realm of social media has spilled over into the real world. The problem of hate speech, but also the attitude towards the media and journalists, is a big problem and will not be solved overnight.
We all know that journalism is not a job in which we are given compliments, we know that with every published story someone will resent us. That is the reality of our job, we are used to it and we do not make a fuss about it.
The problem is hatred and threats that are spilling over into the street more and more clearly and ugly – especially lately – and we must be concerned, especially for the safety of our colleagues on the field. We are not running away from our own responsibility. Part of the cause can and must be recognized among ourselves, our actions, editorial policies and the lack of solidarity among us, but together we can change things.
The aim of the action is to draw attention to the conditions in which journalists have been working for years and to the hate speech to which they are exposed. Therefore, we suggest that for two hours, on Friday, October 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., media ban the publication of comments below the stories on portals and social networks, and publish an explanation that the ban came as a warning on rising hate speech.
In the continuation of the action, we want to remind why journalism is important and which stories would remain undiscovered if it were not for journalists. That is why we invite journalists and media to send us or CJA a link to one of those kind of stories to remind the public why journalism is important.