Some of the most significant challenges faced by journalists in the Republic of Serbia include the deterioration of the environment that supports media pluralism and independence. Young journalists, in particular, face a difficult position in such an environment, encountering trends of reduced participation in decision-making processes, cases of censorship, and a lack of clear support from media outlets in their efforts to promote objective and truthful reporting.

In response to these challenges, the project “Advancing Media and Youth CSOs for Prosperous Democratic Development of Serbia”, through the implementation of the Journalism Academy, aims to strengthen the capacities of young journalists by providing education in the areas of quality assurance and standards in investigative journalism, media and information literacy, and combating disinformation in the Republic of Serbia.

As part of the Journalism Academy, a three-day final event was held in Vranje from 26th to 28th May 2022. Fifteen young journalists, aged up to 35, had the opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills in areas such as safety culture for journalists and the challenges of investigative journalism at the local level. Interactive lectures and workshops on these topics were delivered by Branko Čečen and Gordana Bjeletić.

During the Journalism Academy, through lectures and mentoring sessions, young journalists created in-depth journalistic pieces on topics important for local communities, including development, the functioning of democracy and institutions, the rule of law, and human rights. During the final event, participants presented their work, the process behind its creation, as well as the challenges they faced throughout the research and production process.

On the final day of the event, all participants who successfully completed the programme were awarded certificates, while prizes were presented to the most successful participants. The award for the best work of the first Journalism Academy was given to Tamara Urošević for her piece titled “The Death of Maternity Patient Bobana Momčilović Veličković: An Unfortunate Case or Medical Error?”