“This is not the time for media sponsorship of mass gatherings, at which it is practically impossible to follow the safety measures, now is not the time to harass and try to find loopholes in a multitude of anti-corona legislative measures. And now is not the time for undermining and opposing the instructions of the medical professionals or for potentially creating doubts about the usefulness of vaccination. Individual irresponsible actions can have the most severe consequences for our fellow citizens and only prolong the time of our transition back to a state of normalcy,” RTV journalists Dr Jože Možina and Igor Pirkovič wrote in their joint public letter.
In a public appeal, RTV journalists Jože Možina and Igor Pirkovič called for everyone to connect, remain in solidarity, and behave responsibly during the period of one of the most difficult trials of recent decades. Otherwise, by deepening the division among ourselves, we will only spread the cataclysm that is practically here already.
As they pointed out, the epidemic is still in full swing, and it is severely degrading public health and, consequently, other spheres of social life as well. “The number of seriously ill and dead is among the highest in the world per capita, and the prospects are not promising. Twenty-one of our citizens lost their lives yesterday alone. Covid-19 is a threat to everyone.” They added that the media have a very responsible role in the current situation, as they have a great moral responsibility in situations where lives are endangered. “They have the influence and power to work with all their might to unite the efforts to minimise the consequences of the virus.”
Recognising and fearing that some influential media workers are not really aware of their responsibility and prefer politicisation, Možina and Pirkovič suggest – or rather, ask – “for God’s sake, stop doing this, for at least a couple of weeks.”
You can read their joint public letter in its entirety below:
A CALL AND REQUEST FOR A TIME WHEN LIVES ARE ENDANGERED
“Dear all,
unfortunately, we have entered a period that is the most difficult ordeal of recent decades regarding the protection of lives. It is a question of whether we will help save more Slovenian people through responsible behaviour, connectedness and solidarity, or whether we will further deepen the division among us and spread the cataclysm that is threatening us, and is already here, according to the warnings of the overworked healthcare workers, even further.
The epidemic is in full swing, and it is severely degrading public health and, consequently, other spheres of social life as well. The number of seriously ill and dead is among the highest in the world per capita, and the prospects are not promising. Twenty-one of our citizens lost their lives yesterday alone. Covid-19 is a threat to everyone. The media have a very responsible role in situations like this one, and when lives are endangered, they have a great moral responsibility as well. They have the influence and power to work with all their might to unite the efforts to minimise the consequences of the virus.
Recognising and fearing that some influential media workers are not really aware of their responsibility and prefer politicisation, we suggest – or rather, ask that, for God’s sake, stop doing this for at least a couple of weeks. In this war on the virus, all humans are on the same page; we are all vulnerable and powerless. Each and every one of us has a relative, neighbour, friend who has lost the battle with covid or has major health problems after the infection. Let us be at least a little compassionate and try to imagine the looming distress of the exhausted healthcare workers, who will have neither beds nor staff as early as tomorrow for any new covid patients who will be gasping for air and fighting for their lives. Perhaps it will be a person dear to me or to you; every person is precious, and everyone wants to live. All together and every one of us alone will have a clear conscience if we all do everything in our power, and we mean everything, to keep the number of new patients to a minimum.
Part of the responsible conduct of the media should also be a clear condemnation and not the promotion of all activities that are not in line with the efforts to overcome the virus or do not comply with the prescribed health measures. Solidarity, not disruptiveness, should come to the fore. This is not the time for media sponsorship of mass gatherings, at which it is practically impossible to follow the safety measures, now is not the time to harass and try to find loopholes in a multitude of anti-corona legislative measures. And now is not the time for undermining and opposing the instructions of the medical professionals or for potentially creating doubts about the usefulness of vaccination. Individual irresponsible actions can have the most severe consequences for our fellow citizens and only prolong the time of our transition back to a state of normalcy.
Let’s be honest – irresponsible actions, especially in the media, instilling doubts and highlighting harmful examples – all of this also leads to non-compliance with the protective measures, lower vaccination rate and, ultimately, to even more grief and unhappiness, which none of us wants.
Igor Pirkovič
Jože Možina”
Sara Kovač
