CIN-CG: MEDIA REPORTING ON THE CETINJE TRAGEDY

Rubbing Salt in the Wound

Following the mass murder in Cetinje this January, several Montenegrin online media outlets have published articles regarding the case which spread hate speech, discrimination, and disinformation, while regional tabloid media often violated ethical standards.

Most Montenegrin media reported on the tragedy in Cetinje professionally, with some even disabling comments under published articles to prevent the spread of hate speech and exploitation of the tragedy. However, according to experts in the country, regional media inclined toward tabloid-style reporting were the ones spreading harmful content.

Aco Martinović shot and killed 13 people, including two children, and seriously injured three others in Cetinje on January 1st, before taking his own life. It was the second mass murder in the city in less than three years. In August 2022, Vuk Borilović killed ten citizens, including two children, and wounded six others.

As a result of the coverage of the tragedy, the Council of Montenegro’s Agency for Audiovisual Media Services (SAMU) launched proceedings against Serbian TV stations Pink and Happy on the basis that they violated the Convention on Transfrontier Television by broadcasting content that undermines dignity and incites hatred, intolerance, and discrimination based on nationality.

In Montenegro, the lack of responsible and professional journalism was highlighted in several articles published by the portals Borba, Aktuelno, Antena M, and IN4S. These articles used offensive and stereotypical language, encouraging violence and intolerance among different ethnic, religious, and national groups.

On social media, numerous comments and posts appeared that dehumanise the residents of Cetinje, attributing the tragic event to the city’s collective mentality.

Four cases have been opened so far at the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica concerning social media posts and comments related to the event. The Prosecutor’s Office told CIN-CG that the cases are in the investigation phase, involve multiple individuals, and that after all data is gathered and identities are confirmed, it will be determined whether these individuals will face criminal or misdemeanour charges.

According to the Law on Public Order and Peace, anyone who insults another person based on nationality, race, religion, ethnic origin, or other personal attributes can be punished with a fine or up to 60 days in prison. The criminal offense of inciting national, racial, or religious hatred, or publicly encouraging violence or hatred against a group or a member of a group based on race, skin colour, religion, origin, language, state, or national affiliation, carries a prison sentence of six months to five years.

Experienced journalist and representative of the Montenegro Media Union, Predrag Nikolić, told CIN-CG that most media outlets acted fairly and professionally after the tragedy in Cetinje. His colleague, Olivera Nikolić, director of the Montenegro Media Institute, added that most media, especially in the first hours after the tragedy, avoided sensationalism, unverified information, speculation about the number of victims and injured, and the motives behind the crime.

“The media showed sensitivity to the pain of the victims’ families and friends, the assumptions about the motives behind the crime, and details from the perpetrator’s private life,” she emphasised.

Predrag Nikolić added that “a small portion of the media, through statements and analyses by certain ‘analysts,’ fuelled hate speech and nationalism, which flared up on social media after the Cetinje tragedy.”

He points out that the real issue is that institutions have not provided answers to key questions about this tragedy, which has deeply traumatised society. “Instead of facts, we received individual ‘investigations and forensics,’ mostly tinged with nationalism, which are now spreading across social media,” Nikolić observed.

Unfortunately, according to the director of the Institute, this tragedy has once again been used by certain media outlets to attract readers and score political points through hate speech, prohibited rhetoric, sensationalism, and crude reporting. Serbian tabloids and television channels led the way, along with some Montenegrin platforms already known as sources of hate speech.

A Tragedy Exploited for Nationalist Agendas

The article titled “The Thirteenth Victim of the Saint Sava Ritual Massacre in Cetinje,” published on the portal Aktuelno, has sparked strong reactions from both the public and authorities.

This article, allegedly written by members of the Montenegrin diaspora from various municipalities in the United States of America, links the mass killing to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), referring to it as a “Saint Sava sect” and associating it with ritual killings by cults.

Montenegro’s Minister of Culture and Media, Tamara Vujović, condemned the publication of this text, highlighting the serious societal consequences such narratives can have. She stated that the article “represents a direct threat to our fundamental values of unity and multiculturalism,” according to a media statement.

Vujović emphasised that most Montenegrin media demonstrated a high level of professionalism and responsibility in reporting on the tragedy. “However, irresponsible media outlets like Aktuelno not only violate journalistic ethical standards with such content but also cross all boundaries of freedom of expression, which is unacceptable in a democratic society,” the statement read.

The portal Borba, in response to the Aktuelno article, published a piece titled “Rabid Dukljan Fascists from Distant America and Foreign Troughs Spew Hate on the SPC for the Cetinje Massacre, Calling It a Svetosavlje Ritual Massacre”. This article is also filled with aggressive language, stigmatisation, and incitement to hatred.

The day after the tragedy, the portal Antena M published a column titled “Responsibility for the Tragedy and Those Who Rejoice in It,” written by three professors from the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature (FCJK). The column refers to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) as a “pseudo-religious organisation” and accuses Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović of “using the Cetinje tragedy for a diabolical plan to destroy this country,” stating that it is unclear what is worse; their statements on the day of the tragedy or the mass crime itself.

The portal IN4S published an article titled “Mass Murders in Montenegro: National Intolerance as a Catalyst for Violent Tragedies”. This piece revisits the previous mass killing in Cetinje in 2022, framing the motives of both crimes within a national context.

The editor-in-chief of the portal Raskrinkavanje, Darvin Murić, points out that the portal IN4S, regionally known for spreading disinformation, attempted to “explain” how two unrelated tragedies in Cetinje were actually a consequence of national intolerance.

“The new mass murder in Cetinje, in addition to exposing flaws in the system, has also revealed the intentions and readiness of tabloids, government propaganda outlets in Montenegro and Serbia, ‘rogue’ portals, and party/nationalist bots on social media to exploit even the greatest tragedies for nationalist squabbles and political goals. Despite government representatives publicly stating that the deaths of 13 innocent people had nothing to do with politics or nationalism, efforts were made to dehumanise Cetinje,” Murić emphasised in a public statement.

He also pointed out the unprofessional and inaccurate reporting of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian portal Stav, the Belgrade tabloids Alo, Informer, as well as Blic, Večernje novosti, and Srbija danas.

An analysis by the Digital Forensic Centre (DFC) states that the tabloids Republika (Srpski Telegraf), Novosti, and Kurir used the name and legacy of Petar II Petrović Njegoš, a 19^th century bishop, poet and philosopher, to frame the Cetinje tragedy within a broader narrative of “curses” and “fateful events”.

“Njegoš’s words and works are taken out of historical context and used for sensationalist interpretations of the event. Articles allude to Njegoš’s ‘curse’ supposedly ‘catching up with Cetinje,’ and mention that his alleged last wish—the chapel on Lovćen—was not fulfilled, creating the impression that the Cetinje tragedy is part of some mystical ‘curse’. It is also suggested that the tragedy is symbolically linked to historical conflicts and themes that Njegoš explored in his works,” the DFC analysis states.

Additionally, it is noted that without any evidence or verified information, guests on certain Serbian television programmes provided speculative analyses of the killer’s characteristics and psychological profile. “Meanwhile, the leader of the Serbian Radical Party, Vojislav Šešelj, claimed that all the victims were members of a so-called ‘satanic Montenegrin church’ and that the conflict was over a house they use as a church.”

Proceedings Initiated Against Two Serbian TV Stations

The Montenegrin Agency for Audiovisual Media Services announced that the Serbian television stations Pink and Happy violated professional and ethical journalistic standards in their reporting on the tragedy between January 2^ndand 6^th. The Agency stated that the broadcasters analysed and speculated on the causes of the tragedy in an inappropriate manner, without demonstrating compassion.

“The tragic event was exploited as an opportunity to incite hostility or discrimination by using derogatory, offensive, and disturbing language that provokes intense negative emotions. Additionally, the discourse throughout the coverage included belittling and devaluing Montenegrin nationality, denying their national identity and distinctiveness,” the Agency’s statement read.

The Agency highlighted that a particularly serious violation involved the misuse of reporting rights, as the tragedy was framed in a way that attempted to explain or justify it because of “curses” directed at a segment of the population based on their ethnic and religious identity. “By specifically singling out the residents of the Cetinje region, the broadcast content fuelled hostility and intolerance, endangering their dignity,” the statement added.

The Agency also noted that, despite previous sanctions against these television stations in 2020 and 2022, they continue to violate media regulations by broadcasting content that promotes hatred, intolerance, and discrimination. The Serbian Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) has been requested to provide information on the measures taken no later than two weeks after receiving the notice. “It has been emphasised that if violations continue after this period, the Agency’s Council will take steps to restrict the broadcast of these stations in Montenegro,” the statement concluded.

Many Unknowns Surround the Tragedy

The director of the Media Institute, Olivera Nikolić, praised the decision by the daily newspapers Vijesti and Dan to disable comments on articles related to the tragedy, calling it a highly ethical move.

“This is a strong indication of how self-regulation can be a powerful mechanism for managing professional content and steering public debate toward the essential issues raised by this tragedy, rather than toward hatred, identity conflicts, church disputes, and similar divisive topics,” said Nikolić.

However, journalist Predrag Nikolić pointed out that many media outlets failed to seek or insist on answers to the key questions that the public wants to know after such a tragedy. “While the majority of media outlets reported responsibly, it is concerning that many unknowns surrounding this tragedy were left unaddressed,” he concludes.

His colleague from the Media Institute emphasised that the media would play a crucial role in channelling this trauma, steering the dialogue in a constructive direction, and analysing the broader context and causes of the two tragedies that have occurred in the past two and a half years.

“With a professional and ethical approach—giving voice to experts from various fields and shedding light on the issue from multiple perspectives—the media can contribute to understanding the broader causes of the tragedy, helping the community recover, and preventing similar incidents from occurring in the future,” the director of the Media Institute stressed.

The Tragedy Sparks Protests

The insufficient police presence, reckless remarks by the Minister of the Interior, who called the mass killing a “situational event” and urged citizens to return to normal life just hours after the tragedy, conflicting information in the first days following the event, and the prolonged search for the perpetrator—while residents in the small town remained locked in their homes in fear—have all fuelled public disbelief, anger, and demands for accountability.

The informal student group Kamo sjutra launched protests following the Cetinje tragedy, calling for the resignations of Minister of the Interior Danilo Šaranović and Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Defence Aleksa Bečić.

The protesters are also demanding proactive measures from relevant institutions regarding gun ownership, improvements in institutional approaches to mental health care, reforms in police operational structures, and the reintroduction of civic education as a mandatory subject in primary and secondary schools.

Author: Maja Boričić

Photo: Djordje Kostic / Shutterstock.com