Reporting live from the streets of Serbia, amidst a chaotic student protest, Jana Jacić documents the event, sending updates to her colleagues in the newsroom through the form of voice memos, videos, and pictures.
Sept. 18, a group of international journalists visited the school’s journalism classrooms to observe, learn, and share their own experiences. One of the visitors, Jacić, Media Content Editor of Serbian media outlet “Boom 93,” dove deeper into the hostile circumstances she faces as a journalist within Serbia’s slowly declining democracy.
“Being a journalist in Serbia, especially this last year, has been a real challenge,” Jacić said. “You kind of feel that you have to measure everything you say or write, which is something you shouldn’t do as journalists. I would say we’re kind of slowly falling into the risk of being a dictatorship.”
Because of the rise in student anti-corruption protests, the foreign Russian Secret Service published a report accusing Boom 93 of being funded by the European Union and posting propaganda to brainwash the Serbian youth into rebelling against their government.
“So I would say every day is a challenge, but we do not give up,” Jacić said. “As journalists and editors [we] are on a mission to provide information of public interest that will help people make informed decisions about their lives.”
Loyal to this mission, “Boom 93” created the Citizens Reporters section on their website, which allows citizens to send in everyday concerns like potholes, water outages, and car accidents. This citizen-centered approach has often put her at odds with government officials, as Jacić prioritizes amplifying the community’s concerns towards authorities.
“There was a huge storm in our hometown. It destroyed people’s houses and cars. So we contacted [the mayor],” Jacić said. “We emailed him, we repeated the email, we called him, we emailed him, repeated the call, and he never answered. So we wrote this piece saying, ‘Are your problems going to be solved? We don’t know because the mayor doesn’t care enough to answer.’”
In response, the mayor posted a press release stating that Jacić was trying to destroy his integrity, even though, according to Serbian law, media outlets are not allowed to be targeted in such a way as it defies democracy. Jacić has felt the increasing pressure when deciding how to present unbiased news and simultaneously represent the voices of the people.
“The situation in my country is such that it is becoming more difficult to be nonpartisan. I’m aware of the fact that you should keep facts and opinions separated,” Jacić said. “But if you are a witness to extreme police brutality towards underage kids on the street I mean, it’s kind of difficult not to express your opinion.”
Despite the threat of censorship from officials, Jacić works to balance her personal values with her responsibility as a journalist, even when she notices that the citizens’ quality of life is affected.
“We like to consider ourselves to be allies of the citizens. This is where we draw the line and say we have to speak up,” Jacić said. “I would call myself a feminist and an activist for women’s rights. But when you talk about journalism, I’m not an activist. I’m also a citizen of that town, so I know the troubles.”
Beyond informing the public, Jacić sees it as her duty to keep institutions grounded. By ensuring that they publish unfiltered information, she keeps sight of the citizens they are meant to serve while maintaining the integrity of journalism.
“I heard this sentence: ‘Give people what they want to hear’. That’s not gonna happen. I’m giving people what needs to be heard, whether they like it or not,” said Jacić.
