30Jan2016

How insecurity and uncertainty of journalist position affect public informing of citizens on Radio Belgrade 2

   In the Radio Belgrade 2 show Agora, Tanja Jakobi, journalist and Public Policy Research Centre’s researcher spoke how insecurity and uncertainty of journalist position affect public informing of citizens in Serbia.  1.100 employed and unemployed journalists were questioned about freedom of the media, the perception of state control and censorship. The study has shown that instead of the interests of the citizens in the first place there are the interests of advertisers and politicians. Thanks to political and marketing pressures, journalists are unable to carry out their work as they should to do - said Tanja Jakobi. Journalists are in the same position like the other professions. The only difference is that they do the work of social importance. According to the results, if the media are not able to perform its role, then the people who follow these media are not able to be informed and made decisions about their lives.

The guests of radio show Agora - Srecko Mihailovic, head of the research team of the Centre for the development of trade unionism, Dragana Čabarkapa, President of the Union of Journalists of Serbia and Dragan Kremer, media coordinator of the program, the Open Society Foundation, agreed that the study is an opportunity to open a debate about the new forms of organization and funding of media and how to fight for the journalist profession. The study carried out in 2015 in cooperation with the Centre for the development of trade unionism and the Open Society Foundation and its results were presented in the book From journalists to laborers, precarious work and life.