Serbia

Journalists associations

Several associations represent interests of thousands of journalists and media outlets in Serbia. Some are more than a century old; others only couple of years, established as a response to current technological and media environment.

• Udruzenje novinara Srbije (The Journalist Association of Serbia – UNS) was formed in 1881 and has been active ever since.
• NUNS was formed in 1994, mainly by journalists who either left or were purged from the media controlled by the regime.
• Nezavisno drustvo novinara Vojvodine (Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina – NDNV) is a regional journalist association that was formed in 1990.

All journalistic organisations have in the scope of their work the protection of the journalistic profession, including its legal and social aspects, promotion of free journalism and media pluralism, and development of professional norms and ethical standards. The associations, especially NUNS and the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina, are often under attack by tabloids. As panellists in the Media Sustainability Index 2017 noted, because of the current political, economic, and media situation in Serbia, including permanent pressure on media and journalists, associations concentrate all their capacities and activities exclusively on daily “firefighting” and on the resolution of daily problems. Such an environment keeps media associations from executing strategic activities in media and journalism development.

• Asocijacija medija Srbije (Association of Serbian Media - ASMEDI) was established in 2003. It gathers some of the biggest commercial publishing companies, as well as print and online media outlets and news agencies.
• Asocijacija onlajn medija (Online Media Association - AOM) was established in 2015 and gathers 19 independent digital media outlets. Its goal is to develop and promote ethical standards of reporting on the Internet as well as strengthening the role of online media in the democratisation of society.
• Asocijacija nezavisnih medija (the Association of Independent Electronic Media – ANEM), a group of radio and TV stations from across Serbia, was founded in 1993, in an attempt to strengthen independent broadcasters in a period that was very difficult for the media which opposed the regime. Their activities in the post-Milosevic period included lobbying for the media laws, education of media staff, legal help, and technical support for its members.
• Lokal pres (Local Press) is a media organisation gathering local print media. It was established in 1995, and currently there are around 40 members. Its activities include representing the professional interests of its members, joint marketing and business initiatives, staff training and so on.