Fact-checkers condemn physical attack against journalist of Croatian fact-checking service Faktograf

Filming a documentary about illegal landfill is dangerous business

Originally published on Global Voices

This article is based on coverage by Meta.mk. An edited version is republished here under a content-sharing agreement between Global Voices and Metamorphosis Foundation. 

The members of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) issued a condemnation of the attack against the journalist of Croatian fact-checking service Faktograf that took place on July 16 near near Zadar. As reported by Faktograf, award-winning journalist Melita Vrsaljko, a fact-checker who works on their Climate Portal, was physically attacked while working in the village of Nadin.

Initially, an elderly man attacked her on public property in Nadin while she was passing by an emerging illegal dump with a cameraman working on the development of a documentary film. Later, she was attacked again, this time in her home, also in Nadin. The daughter of the original attacker, after Vrsaljko opened the front door, started hitting her and attempted to take her mobile phone.

The Zadar Police Department reported:

Policijskim postupanjem je utvrđeno da je 36-godišnjakinja došla na adresu prebivališta oštećene, gdje ju je verbalno, a potom i fizički napala, pri čemu joj je mobitel iz ruke bacila na tlo.

Police procedures determined that a 36-year-old woman came to the victim’s address, where she verbally and then physically attacked her, throwing her mobile phone from her hand to the ground.

The attackers, Iva Perić and Ivan Vrsaljko, are sister and father of powerful local politician Dario Vrsaljko. Regional news portal of the Adriatic region Morski.hr, which republished photos and videos from the attack, originally shared via Facebook, noted that both of them are donors and prominent members of the ruling political party HDZ.

Lawyer Vanja Jurić warned that “although there are witnesses and video recordings, the police have, as far as is known, mischaracterized these attacks as offenses against public order and peace, in which allegedly the victim herself equally participated.” She said she will file a complaint against the police because they have not taken the actions they could and should have to protect journalist Vrsaljko in line with the provisions of the Criminal Code.

Faktograf documented the attack on their web page.

The European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) immediately issued a press release condemning the attack. Said Ana Brakus, co-founder and executive director of Faktograf:

For years, Faktograf – Association for the Informed Public, has endured violent threats. Our journalists have been repeatedly subjected to harassment and attacks, yet this physical assault on Melita Vrsaljko in her own home marks an unprecedented and appalling escalation of violence. She is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker, a hard and honest worker, completely dedicated to providing the public with the highest quality journalism. Faktograf will offer Melita our wholehearted support, and we call on you to join us in condemning this appalling act.

EFCSN pointed out that sadly, this incident is part of an alarming trend of threats and harassment directed at fact-checkers worldwide. In Croatia, Faktograf has faced such threats and harassment in the past, although never physical violence, which is part of what makes this incident so concerning. EFCSN stressed:

It is imperative that we address this escalating issue with the seriousness it deserves. Fact-checkers play a critical role in safeguarding public discourse and ensuring that citizens are informed with accurate information. We urge all stakeholders to support and protect fact-checkers as they continue their vital mission in the face of adversity.

The International Fact-Checking Network joined colleagues in Europe in deploring the  attack on the Faktograf journalist. Faktograf is a verified signatory to the IFCN Code of Principles.

EFCSN and IFCN member from North Macedonia Metamorphosis Foundation joined the condemnation, together with the newsrooms of the fact-checking service  Truthmeter.mk, Meta.mk news agency and the news portal in Albanian language PortAlb.mk.

Метаморфозис ги повикува хрватските државни институции експедитивно и недвосмилено да го истражат нападот на новинарите на Фактограф на кои им е потребна заштита од вакви напади бидејќи проверувачите на факти кои ги адресираат клучните прашања што ги засегаат нашите општества.

Metamorphosis calls upon the state institutions of the Republic of Croatia to expeditiously and unequivocally investigate the attack on the Faktograf journalists, who require protection from such assaults because fact-checkers address the key issues of public interest concerning the societies in the Balkan region, across Europe and world over.

Metamorphosis team empathize with all targets of harassment against freedom of expression, as they have been subjected to similar attacks including a coordinated smear campaign, which has been going on for years. It intensified with the most recent wave of attacks in February this year. These attacks, as the previous  ones, caused an outcry of journalist community and were reported to the Ministry of Interior and the Public Prosecutors Office of Republic of North Macedonia. However the competent authorities have not taken steps to address the issue so far.

Polish fact-checking outlet Demagog also expressed support for Faktograf and EFCN statement in a Twitter/X post in Polish and English.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, issued a demand to Croatian authorities to “swiftly investigate two attacks made against reporter Melita Vrsaljko in relation to her environmental reporting and take steps to ensure her safety.” The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) from Montenegro publicly expressed support for  the  endangered journalists.

In May 2023 Faktograf published results of the research “Harassment of Fact-checking Media Outlets in Europe” covering 41 newsrooms. “Fact-checkers frequently experience attacks from political and other public actors, as well as harassment on social networks. The exposure to intimidation, disinformation and incitement campaigns online is considerable, but largely invisible to anyone outside the ‘community.’ It somewhat disproportionately targets women [and] it is more intense in countries that do not have strong democracies and vibrant media environments…” the survey noted.  

Fact-checkers stand at the front line of fighting disinformation, which often goes hand in hand with hate speech, fringe politics, antidemocratic and extreme ideologies. Previous research [by the ICFJ]  has already established that reporting on disinformation “seems to be a particular trigger” for harassment. Bad actors who use manipulative tactics to achieve political goals and/or radicalise their target audiences, have already made fact-checkers regular and frequent targets of their online campaigns. Similar is true of actors who use false or misleading information opportunistically, to profit off of existing advertisement models which largely favour clickability over credibility.

However, this vulnerability, which comes with being “first responders” in the struggles against information disorder and its many derivatives, is not sufficiently recognized by relevant stakeholders who have the ability to influence it. The survey concluded that:

Harassment against fact-checkers, therefore, needs to be recognized as a systemic problem, with full awareness of its intentions to discredit both individual fact-checking outlets and general efforts against disinformation.

Written by Metamorphosis Foundation