The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection and the Protector of Citizens are urging for more attention to be paid to privacy and elementary tact, and elements of human dignity as well, in reporting on the lives of citizens, even when it comes to public figures.

The manner in which the news has been presented to the public about the admission of the famous actor Dragan Nikolic to hospital is not only contrary to the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of health information, but also caused unnecessary and undue distress to his family, which contacted the Protector and the Commissioner.

The Commissioner and the Protector remind all employees in health care institutions to protect the right to privacy of the patient and family. At the same time, though neither of the authorities has the power to control the media, the Protector and the Commissioner are appealing to media professionals to not sacrifice, for the sake of sensationalism and increased sale, the dignity and tact towards people who, even when they are public figures, are entitled to be "left alone" in certain situations.

These two authorities are reminding that the code of journalists also prescribes respect for human dignity and attentive and professional, responsible attitude towards people.

Citizens should also behave responsibly, who share and post on social networks a variety of information, including that with potentially disturbing content. Respect for human dignity is not only an obligation arising from a code of some professions, but also the general principle of every society that respects the rights of citizens.