UNMIK/PR/908
PRISTINA – Yesterday afternoon, RTS, Belgrade, called DPI Director Simon Haselock asking for his reaction to the pollution in River Ibar, which was affecting the town of Kraljevo in Serbia.
The reporter asked if the pollution was coming from the KEK’s plant in Obilic.
Mr. Haselock told the reporter that he couldn’t comment since although he had heard of the complaint, he had no information as to what had actually happened. Then in passing he wondered that given the distance from Obilic to Kraljevo, it seemed unlikely to have come from there. This was not an official comment.
Without informing Mr. Haselock, the reporter recorded this conversation, which was merely a background discussion on the issue. Mr. Haselock did not suggest that the pollution did not or could not have come from anywhere in particular. In fact he said he could not say anything as he had no definitive information.
The RTS piece therefore seems to have been done in an extremely perverse and unprofessional way, particularly since it seems to have been edited to be deliberately contentious. Normal journalistic standards require that when you do a telephone interview, you inform the person being interviewed when you start recording him or her and to ask direct questions. This was not done.
The competent government ministry and KEK are in direct contact with the competent authorities in Serbia to tackle this problem.