"BLACK CHRONICLE” AND VIOLATION OF THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY IN MEDIA REPORTING

Abstract

The authors consider the complex relationship between the media and crime, especially analyzing the status of the “black chronicle” section and violations of the right to privacy in journalistic reporting. The basic premise of the paper is that the media, by forcing sensationalist-tabloid headlines and photos of actors of various criminal and deviant phenomena in the race for ratings and clickstreams, often violate legal norms and professional codes. Publishing unnecessary details about the methods of committing a criminal offense does not contribute to better reporting or the protection of the public interest, but it causes deep suffering to victims and their families, violating their dignity and causing additional pain. The results of the analysis show that the Serbian press is preoccupied with violent content, purposefully selected and narratively simplified in order to astonish and shock readers. Leaking and manipulating statements from confidential sources, disclosing information while an investigation is ongoing, and revealing details from the lives of victims' family members are just some of the examples of how unprofessional behavior by journalists can be a reason for human rights violations, because by not respecting the presumption of innocence, journalists make it difficult or impossible for the courts to be impartial. The change in the genre paradigm is also visible in the popularization of necrophilic journalism, which, by selling images of death, suffering, and grief of relatives and close friends, tramples on their privacy for the sake of profit. We have also noticed a lack of permanent education of the public about the right to privacy, but what is more important for the wider community - the lack of more active prevention of all types of social deformities.