Acting upon the complaint of Nikola Petrović due to the alleged violation of principle IX of the Code of Etyhics of the Montenegrin Journalists in the text "(VIDEO) WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE WOUNDING OF A YOUNG MAN IN DAHNA" (https://www.standard.co.me/hronika/video-dublije-snimak-ranjavanja-mladica-u-dahni), published on November 19, 2025 on the Standard portal, the Complaints Commission of the Media Council for Self-Regulation issues the following decision
The Commission concludes that the publication of a video recording of the wounding of a young man at a gas station in Dahna, in this particular case, is not professionally unacceptable, and that there is no basis for establishing a violation of the Code of Ethics of the Montenegrin Journalists.
This conclusion stems from the fact that the video does not contain explicit scenes of violence, which is why it could not be considered that the Standard portal normalized violence by publishing it. The commission notes that there was no violation of the principle IX of the Code of Ethics of the Montenegrin Journalists, i.e. guideline 9.2 - Reporting on violence, which stipulates that, when reporting on actual or threatened violence, the media should carefully weigh the public's interest in information and the interests of the victims and other persons involved in the event.
The Commission, however, indicates that in similar cases of the publication of recordings depicting actual or threatened violence, accidents or similar events, in accordance with professional standards and good practice, it would be advisable to display an appropriate warning about potentially disturbing content.
Explanation
On November 24, 2025, the Media Council for Self-Regulation received a complaint from reader Nikola Petrović, sent from the e-mail address
The complaint states that on that day the Standard portal published an article with an "exclusive" video label of the moment a person was injured.
"I am kindly asking you to act, because these are disturbing recordings, which this portal aired via social networks, advertising them as exclusive, with a note that it was forbidden to download the video without the consent of the editors," the complaint states.
The reader believes that this approach is irresponsible, because the content is disturbing and, in his opinion, contributes to the normalization of violence, turning reality into a kind of crime film.
It is further stated that this type of reporting can have a negative impact, especially on young people, and that it can mislead readers when the footage is presented as exclusive. The reader points out that, if it is a video submitted by the police for the purpose of identifying the perpetrator, such material represents a public good, not exclusive content, with the assessment that there should be as few explicit scenes of violence as possible in the media.
In the statement of the editorial staff of the Standard portal, signed by the deputy editor-in-chief Ivan Đoković, it was stated that professional standards, ethics and the provisions of the Journalists Code of Ethics were taken into account when publishing the video.
In the portal statement, it is emphasized that the video does not contain the scene of the act of wounding itself, nor any content that could violate the dignity of the victim or disturb the public, and that the video in its published form is in accordance with professional standards, as it documents the event without showing the violent act itself.
The editors also state that at the time of publication of the video, the perpetrator, although identified, was on the run and unavailable to the competent authorities, and that there was a need, in the public interest, to contribute to the elucidation of the event and the search for the perpetrator.
It was further clarified that the perpetrator's face cannot be seen up close on the video, but only the basic physical characteristics and clothing can be seen, which, according to the editors, enables the understanding of the event without violating the privacy or dignity of any actor.
The editors conclude that the footage was published carefully, without explicit and disturbing scenes, and that they believe that the portal's behavior is fully in line with the ethical principles and professional standards of the journalistic profession.
The Complaints Commission of the Media Council for Self-Regulation took into consideration the allegations from the complaint, the statement of the editorial office and the content of the disputed video, assessed that in this particular case there was no violation of principle IX of the Code of Journalists of Montenegro.
Although it is a sensitive event involving violence, the Commission believes that the published footage does not contain explicit scenes of violence, nor does it show the act of wounding itself, which is why it cannot be concluded that its publication violated the dignity of the victim or that the violence was presented in a sensationalist manner.
The commission also took into account the existence of public interest in the publication of the information and video, bearing in mind the circumstances of the event and the fact that at the time of publication the perpetrator was on the run, and that the published content could contribute to a better understanding of the event, without jeopardizing the rights and interests of the participants.
Bearing in mind the above, the Commission concludes that the Standard portal in this case acted in accordance with the professional standards and provisions of the Code of Ethics of the Montenegrin Journalists, which is why the complaint was assessed as unfounded.
Monitoring and Complaints Commission
Aneta Spaić
Sonja Drobac
Danilo Burzan
Branko Vojičić
Ranko Vujović
