Date: May 11, 1994
Author: Valentina Krčmar, Director, Mothers for Peace – Bedem Ljubavi (Toronto Chapter)
Addressed to: Mr. John Honderich, Editor, The Toronto Star
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 2_Part117.pdf
About This Letter
In this letter dated May 11, 1994, Valentina Krčmar, writing on behalf of Mothers for Peace (Bedem Ljubavi), addresses John Honderich, editor of The Toronto Star, regarding the newspaper’s article “Sarajevo’s Romeo and Juliet,” published on May 10, 1994. The article, which revisited the tragic story of Boško Brkić (a Serb) and Admira Ismić (a Bosniak) — a couple killed by sniper fire while trying to flee Sarajevo — was presented in The Star as a symbol of “love across ethnic divides.”
Krčmar accuses the newspaper of distorting the political and historical reality of the Bosnian War by framing it as a “civil war” rooted in mutual ethnic hatred, a narrative long used in Serbian propaganda to obscure the organized aggression led by Slobodan Milošević’s regime.
“Once again, the myth of civil war, of hatred, of so-called Croatian Nazi collaboration, of so-called Serbian Allies connections, etc., are used to propagate Serbian propaganda.”
She contrasts the romanticized tone of the Life section article with the newspaper’s own editorial on the same day, which had correctly identified Serbia’s military aggression:
“We would like to point to your own editorial of the same day where the writer said: ‘In Bosnia, we naively relied on humanitarian help as an antidote to Serbia’s strategy of territorial conquest.’ Two articles — two opinions: how far the truth can be stretched?”
Krčmar’s letter conveys both disappointment and urgency, underscoring the moral responsibility of Canadian media to report accurately on the war. She warns that journalistic carelessness not only misleads readers but can perpetuate suffering:
“Such representation of truth has facilitated the killings of the children in Bosnia and Croatia daily.”
Her call to action is direct and uncompromising. She requests an in-person meeting with Honderich to discuss media accountability and the ethical duty of truth-telling during wartime:
“Please, Mr. Honderich, it is of utmost importance that you meet with us and discuss the issues and manner they are presented.”
Krčmar’s letter reflects Mothers for Peace’s tireless effort to confront misinformation wherever it appeared — from television broadcasts to print media — and to ensure that the atrocities in Bosnia and Croatia were neither minimized nor misrepresented as mutual conflict.
