Posted on 03/11/2002 10:03:34 AM PST by mediafocus
Canadian journalist Nancy Durham, whose film "Truth about Rajmonda" Milosevic plans to present in The Hague to prove that western media fabricated lies, admits that both sides used her in propaganda purposes. Albanians used her to launch lies and Serbs presented her film at the Serb Radio and Television to show how the West manipulated with information
and on the other hand.......the 'serbs' used her confession to clarify the truth.
I don't know what to think of Nancy Durham. She was unprofessional not to check her source better, but unaccustomed to the level of propaganda supported by the Nato govts. At least she spoke out when she found out she'd been 'had'. Silly mare.
Canadian journalist Nancy Durham, whose film "Truth about Rajmonda" Milosevic plans to present in The Hague to prove that western media fabricated lies, admits that both sides used her in propaganda purposes. Albanians used her to launch lies and Serbs presented her film at the Serb Radio and Television to show how the West manipulated with information
By Milorad Ivanovic
Slobodan Milosevic's testimony wasn't unpleasant only for Mahmut Bakali, Carla Del Ponte and the former world leaders but also for foreign media houses, whose films Milosevic presented. It seems that Milosevic is well equipped with videotapes and that he will keep presenting them during the proceedings.
"Blic News" weekly unofficially heard that Milosevic's archive contained a film produced by the Canadian television CBC. In the film named "The truth about Rajmonda" journalist Nancy Durham courageously admits that she was deceived when reporting from Kosovo and that she served for spreading propaganda of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
It can happen that the Head Prosecutor of The Hague's Tribunal Carla Del Ponte presents Durham's new documentary film named "Exposed", which deals with the freezer-truck case and which was premiered at the BBC three weeks ago.
"We didn't broadcast the film just before the court proceedings in order to help The Hague or anybody else. We simply wanted to clear up the important events, which is the task of every journalist," Nancy Durham said for "Blic News" weekly.
"We came to Belgrade to shoot a film about Milosevic's defense. All the media talk about his alleged crimes but few of them talk about his defense. My aim was to meet his lawyers in Belgrade but they weren't willing to meet me. I didn't succeed to get a story form Milosevic's side." So, the film started in another direction.
"My film began talking about the indictment. When I heard of policeman Bosko Radojkovic, who was in charge of the freezer-truck case, I decided to talk to him. He bravely talked about things in which he participated. I also talked with the Serb Minister Zarko Korac, who represents the new Serb regime. My film should have talked about Milosevic's defense but it turned out to be a film about past events," the Canadian journalist, who lives in Great Britain, said.
Nancy Durham became a journalist at the age of 25 and she came to the Balkans at the beginning of 90s to report for the biggest world television stations. Contrary to her colleagues, she always went alone carrying a little Sony camera. In September 1998, reporting on an illegal KLA hospital, she met an 18-year-old girl Rajmonda Reci. Rajmonda was in the hospital allegedly for stress, caused by her sister's death, who was murdered by Serb forces. She said that she had joined the KLA because of that loss, that her sister had died for the future of Kosovo and that she was ready to do the same. The story about Rajmonda's sad destiny went around the world.
Several days after KFOR entered Kosovo in June 1999, Nancy Durham returned in order to see what happened with the main character of her film during the war. Truth was very painful: it turned out that Rajmonda lied and used her to spread Albanian propaganda.
"I had the impression that I was sinking. I thought: "This is a catastrophe." I sympathized with those people and they deceived me. I was very depressive," Durham said.
She returned to Oxford and was thinking for several days. She decided to go to Kosovo once again to shoot a film about her former experience in Kosovo. Many Serbs called her to say that her film contributed to air raids on Yugoslavia and some Albanians told her that many children were killed in the air raids and that she should have shot a film about that.
Asked to comment on the rumors that her film "Truth about Rajmonda" would be used in The Hague as the evidence material, Nancy Durham said:
"Data from my films are public and it should be like that. If Milosevic wants to present the entire film, I don't want to prevent him. However, if he wants to present a short version, which was presented at the Serb Radio and Television and which was made without my permission, it will be unfair. In my film about Rajmonda, I wanted to explain why she had lied to me and why it had taken me so long to realize that she had lied to me. It's a film about war, media and propaganda. It's the most general film I could make. Both sides used me in propaganda purposes and it's a depressive experience. After the Albanian side used me, Serbs presented me as a hero, who proved that foreign journalists lied about the events in Kosovo. It was used as proof that Serbs hadn't done the bad things of which they are accused. The Serb Radio and Television took that film and presented a version, which suited the former regime. I must emphasize that "Blic News" weekly is the first Serb media that asked me for an explanation. Simply, both sides used me," Durham said emphasizing that she had done the right thing and that she would do the same again.
Bosko Radojkovic, the hero of her film "Exposed", said that he would plant an explosive under the freezer-truck again and destroy the evidence if the circumstances were the same as when it was done in March 1999 during NATO air raids. "I find it to be proof of courage and honesty," Durham said.
When the film "Exposed" was broadcast, the BBC viewers commented that Radojkovic didn't show a sign of sympathy with the victims and that he even smiled at one moment. Durham thinks that it is a good practice for students of journalism.
"Shooting a smile, camera can give you a wrong idea of one's character. I'm assured that Radojkovic is a very sensitive man. He lost two friends (policemen) in the war. He didn't mention nationality of the victims, whether they were Albanians, Canadians, Bulgarians, etc. He knows that those were human beings," Nancy Durham concludes.
Welcome to the real world, Nancy.
I asked my conservative dentist why he bought mags like Newsweek and Time for his office. He said they were sent to him FREE. I knew that USNews was practically free, but I guess the others want to get their propaganda out also.
And there was that same old faked photo of the supposed Serbian war camp, with the guys behind the barbed wire. Some western media are still lying and using photos to create lies.
A frequently run radio ad for the Newseum used a reference to this picture long after it was exposed for the lie that it is. Truth seems to have little to do with news by leftists.
Welcome to the real world, Nancy.
Most people hate journalists, but journalists, whatever their politics, have to deal with people -- left and right -- continually lying to them. The journalists have to try, on the fly, to separate the lies from the truth. It's not an easy job.
This woman is VERY EGOCENTRIC! The is not a film festival, this is a trial at which the accused tries to prove his innocence slandered by dishonest or naive journalists who believed the lies. Milosevic should show only those fragments which pertain to his defence. The ambitions of the author are not relevant in this context.
Oh, come on. Chosing relevant few minutes is not butchering. This woman is vain and egocentric. No wonder she was tricked by Albanians.
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