Activities

Impunity for attacks on journalists must not become the new normal, as it directly affects media freedom, the right of citizens to be informed, and consequently, democratic society. This was emphasized at the event marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, titled "Impunity is a Crime – Let's Prevent It," organized by the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) at the European House in Belgrade.

Funding for project co-financing of media content in Niš and Dimitrovgrad is allocated based on political criteria, primarily favoring pro-regime media, while those who report critically cannot expect to receive much funding through local government competitions, assessed representatives from media outlets who participated in a media project writing training organized in Niš by the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM).

In the past two years, we have seen a trend of complete impunity for attacks on journalists and media workers, and the most serious cases are not being prosecuted, emphasized Veran Matić, President of the Management Board of ANEM, member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and one of the operators of the Safe Line 0800 100 115, at the event "Discussion on the Safety of Journalists at the Local Level," held at the Media and Reform Center in Niš.

The eighth training session for local media on writing media projects was held in Novi Sad, organized by the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM).

Police representatives at protests over the past few months have begun to behave more aggressively towards journalists reporting from public gatherings, regardless of their clearly visible press credentials and vests marked "press," assessed participants in a discussion on journalist safety at the local level, organized in Novi Sad on Monday, October 20, 2025, by the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) and the OSCE Mission in Serbia.

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) and the B92 Fund have raised 5,000 euros to assist journalists in Gaza, which has been deposited into the account of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) as a sign of solidarity with media representatives who live and work under conditions of humanitarian crisis, constant hunger, and collapse of healthcare, without existential conditions for life and work, as a consequence of war and genocide.

Members of the group Journalists Against Violence Against Women, Jovana Gligorijević and Ana Manojlović, held the first specialized training for female journalists and media workers in Belgrade, at the premises of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM).

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) is conducting a series of activities in 2025 and 2026 aimed at improving the safety of media workers in Serbia as part of the project "System for Violence Prevention and Journalist Protection," supported by the European Union, the Kingdom of Norway, the Balkan Fund for Democracy, and the Ministry of Information.

Local governments have been allocating funds to the same media outlets, mostly pro-regime, through project co-financing competitions for years. This year, budgets for media projects have been reduced while more money is being allocated for advertising in the media through public procurement, according to representatives of local media who participated in a training session on writing media projects in Subotica, organized by the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM).