Professional standards

Since the Government of Serbia has ignored the protest of citizens, the Writers' Forum intends to submit a request for judgment on constitutionality of the decision about dismissal of Sreten Ugricic – says the public statement issued by the Writers' Forum. At the same time, the Forum will demand that the authorities punish national media outlets which led the public campaign against Sreten Ugricic and other members of the Forum.
(Danas, 01.02.2012)

The Independent Journalist' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) called on the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) to apologize to journalist Petar Lukovic for the statement issued by the UNS on the subject of the strike of TV Avala employees. Reminding that the statement said that journalist Miodrag Popov would donate to strikers the sum of 12,500 dinars received as damages on the basis of a court verdict against the editor of E-Novine, Petar Lukovic, NDNV points out that it is "in bad taste for journalistic associations to abuse the difficult position of the employees to advertise their newly changed political position".
(NDNV, 05.02.2012, Pravda, 06.02.2012)

After a fierce argument, Pedja The Boy pushed on the floor his girlfriend Ana Krsteska, 38 years his junior, during the airing of the reality show "Couples" ("Parovi") on TV Happy. The production crew reacted immediately and threw out both the musician – who frequently participates in reality shows – and his girlfriend from the studio housing the participants of the show.
(Kurir, Press, 14.02.2012)

Appraisals, awards, training courses and competitions

PC Press has published a list of 50 best-rated national websites. The sites are listed in 10 categories, and in each of them the magazine's editors selected one winner. In the category "News and Information" the winner is the online edition of the daily newspaper Blic, while other best-rated websites include Ekapija.com, B92.net, Naslovi.net and the website of Radio-Television Serbia. Njuz.net took the first position in the category of entertainment, while the website B92.net received a special award for its continued presence among the best-rated sites.
(eKapija, Blic - Beograd, NUNS, 03.02.2012)

The newspaper Press has received the first "Green Star" ("Zelena Zvezda") award, given by the Ecotopia Fund, for its new environmental web portal PressGreen. The portal is one of the websites selected for their contribution to preservation of environment. The other selected participants are the environmental web page of the website of RTV Pancevo, the web portal Euractiv Serbia and the TV production team "Ekobalans".
(Press, 05.02.2012)

The jury of the Business Journalists Club chose the journalist of the newspaper Blic, Suzana Lakic, as the recipient of the award "The Golden Quill" ("Zlatno Pero"), which is traditionally given for business journalism. The first recipient of the award for investigative journalism, named after the founder of the Club, Gordan Ranitovic, is the journalist from the newspaper Press, Natalija Sekulic.
(Pregled, Press, 07.02.2012)

Several months after the beginning of the project "The Role of the Media and Implementation of Ethical Standards in Reporting on the Reform of the System of Social Protection and Users of Social Services", it has turned out that two participants who are crucial for high-quality informing of citizens do not possess enough knowledge about each other. The seminar, which brought together journalists and employees in the system of social protection, was dedicated to possibilities of better communication. Workshop were held in Belgrade on 20 October, in Vranje on 30 November, in Novi Sad on 8 December, and in Uzice on 14 December 2011.
(Danas – special supplement, 07.02.2012)

Lectures held in the School of Journalism of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), which is now enrolling the second generation of students, will be available not only to attendants of classes in UNS premises at 28 Resavska Street, but also to students living outside Belgrade and the country. Remote learning will allow everyone interested in the course of journalism to listen to lectures in real time. Additional information is available at the website www.uns.org.rs.
(UNS, 14.02.2012)

The Thomson Reuters Foundation and the Robert Bosch Foundation will organize a program on economic and political reporting intended for Balkan journalists. 16 journalists will be selected for the program which includes two 10-day training courses in London (12-27 May 2012) and Berlin (23 September – 6 October 2012). The participants will also travel to Brussels and Frankfurt and meet with decision-makers and journalists reporting on European financial and political affairs. The deadline for application is 4 March 2012.
(NDNV, 10.02.2012)

Anniversaries

News agency FoNet celebrates 18 years of existence on 7 February. FoNet is the first private and independent news agency in Serbia. The agency has built a clearly defined and recognizable multimedia concept of agency news production, which apart from traditional news services (text, audio, photo, TV) also includes a web TV, FoNetweb.tv, which is unique in Serbia and region. FoNet cooperates with several international media companies, including Reuters, AP, ANSA, EPA, DPA and the Voice of America, as well as private news agencies from former Yugoslavian republics.
(FoNet,NUNS, 07.02.2012, Dnevnik, 08.02.2012)

On the occasion of 80 years of existence of the newspaper Sandzak, a round table dedicated to "The Media in Sandzak and Democracy" was held in Prijepolje on 1 February 2012. The event was organized by the Information Department of the Bosniak National Council and it brought together participants in the public and cultural scene from Prijepolje, Novi Pazar, Sjenica and Tutin.
(MC, 02.02.2012, Beta, NUNS, 03.02.2012)

The newspaper Student, which celebrates 75 years of its existence, has launched its online edition www.magazinstudent.com. The newspaper also has a Facebook and Twitter page. (@magazin_Student).
(UNS, 02.02.2012)

In Memoriam

Journalist Enike Halas passed away at the age of 38 after a long and difficult illness. Her journalistic career began in 1995 in the Hungarian department of TV Novi Sad. During her studies in Segedin she worked as a correspondent of Radio 021. In 2001, she became the programme director of radio station Multiradio, which won the renowned annual Press Freedom Award from the Republic of Hungary. Between 2009 and the last year she was the deputy editor-in-chief of the only daily newspaper in Hungarian language, Magyar Szo.
(Beta, NDNV, 05.02.2012, Press, NUNS, 07.02.2012)

Radovan Delibasic, one of the best journalists and publicists from Toplica, passed away at the age of 63. During his long career he worked as a contributor to numerous domestic and foreign media outlets. He was a correspondent of newspaper Vecernje Novosti for several years.
(Vecernje Novosti - Srbija, UNS, 09.02.2012)

A long-time journalist and a member of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), Nada Mijatovic, passed away at the age of 83. She began her journalistic career in 1960 and worked in newspapers Vecernje Novosti, Svijet, Oslobodjenju, Vecernji List, Nasa Borba, Republika, Danas, Viva... She received the Svetozar Markovic Award of UNS in 1973 for her editorial work. She was also a publicist.
(UNS, 08.02.2012)

Journalist Zoran Tmusic has passed away. During his long-time career in newspapers Nasa Borba, Blic and Frankfurt News, his articles are well-remembered for his extraordinary sensitivity to social issues.
(Blic, NUNS, 08.02.2012)

A writer, journalist, editor and literary historian, Miklos Hornjik, passed away at the age of 68. He worked as a contributor to the newspaper Magyar Szo, the editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine Kepes Ifjusag, and a proofreader and the editor of cultural programme in TV Novi Sad. In 1991, Hornjik moved to Hungary, where he edited two newspapers and worked as a contributor and editor in the Hungarian Television.
(RTV, 13.02.2012, Magzar.so, NDNV, vesti.rs, autonomija.info, 14.02.2012)