Serbia: Centers of excellence offer media support

It has become something of a daily ritual: The presenter greets the audience and then launches into the first item on the program. "Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić…" The prime minister himself is at hand, and in his slow and deliberate manner expounds his views to the audience. He ignores the presenter’s first question, dismisses the second and then goes on at length until he signals to the presenter that the interview is over.

A talkshow is scheduled for later on in the day, and the prime minister is the only guest. The hapless host stops asking questions, realizing that he’s only there for window dressing. Vučić, however, holds forth – with occasional applause from supporters carefully placed in the audience – until he gives the go-ahead for the following program: "After all," he says, "people don’t just want to listen to me talk." He enjoys being perceived as gracious.

Aleksandar Vučić was elected prime minister in April 2014, and has since single-mindedly worked towards silencing Serbia’s free press. He denigrates journalists and ensures that politically affiliated advertising agencies give the cold shoulder to "wayward" media outlets, thus depriving them of financial sustainability. The European Commission, the OSCE and various other organizations are increasingly voicing loud criticism, but Prime Minister Vučić doesn’t seem to notice.

Slander and financial difficulties

Many Serbian media outlets have for years been struggling to survive. The country’s economy has still not recovered from the 2009 global financial crisis, and the advertising sector has shrunk. The Belgrade government, however, is trying to make clever use of EU requirements that compel the media sector to make "adjustments". Numerous local TV and radio stations have been forced to close and revenues continue to drop for the more reliable newspapers. Tabloids are only maintaining their circulation numbers by publishing scandals with little consideration for personal or privacy rights. The younger generation, for its part, is increasingly turning to international online sources for information.

"In order to stop the free-fall of journalism in Serbia", says Klaus Dahmann, DW Akademie's country coordinator for Serbia and the Balkans, "media organizations will have to combine forces and cooperate. We are aiming to lay the groundwork for this, with the help of major media federations and public service broadcasters," he says.

To this end, DW Akademie in 2014 established two centers of excellence: one in Belgrade for Serbia’s private local media and the other in Novi Sad for public service media organizations, including those in other countries in the region as well. Both centers offer networking opportunities for broadcast, print and online media as well as advanced training for management staff, journalists and technicians. The aim is to help media outlets maintain a presence in a volatile media landscape, to meet new challenges and to carry out their social mandate in the face of opposition. A special focus is on providing a platform for socially disempowered groups, such as women and ethnic minorities.

Regional networking and knowledge transfer

The workshops and consultation sessions provided by the centers focus on some of the more pressing questions, such as the type of project most likely to attract national and international grant funding or ways to make the best use of mobile reporting day-to-day work. They also look at the advantages of social media and how to use them well, at ways to improve the work flow in editorial offices, and at how to target and engage socially disadvantaged groups.

"A key element of the project is getting the media owners, managers and managing editors on board," stresses Klaus Dahmann. "They are the ones to ensure the sustainability of the structural and program reforms initiated here," he says.

This year, DW Akademie is focusing its efforts on the Novi Sad center for public service media in the Western Balkans. Novi Sad is a city in the multi-lingual, multi-ethnic province of Vojvodina and perhaps the perfect seat for a regional networking project. The focus will be on the refugee issue, which is affecting all of Southeastern Europe. Participants plan to work on developing a program format that will take contributions from journalists and outlets across the region.