Television Vijesti journalists Tatjana Ašanin and Nikola Milosavić Aleksić won first prize in the "EU Prize for Investigative Journalism 2025" competition for the documentary film "Target: Montenegro - a Cousin State".
The competition awarded stories from Montenegro published during 2024.
Milosavić Aleksić, who is now a journalist for N1 television, thanked the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS) for its help in gathering information, warning that "there is a fear that in a few years we may not have anyone to present this award to."
"We see the media withdrawing from these areas, and 350 of our colleagues have been killed in Gaza and no one is doing anything about it," he said.
The second prize was shared equally by journalists Jovan Nikitović from "Pobjeda" and Ivan Ivanović from BIRN Montenegro.
Nikitović was awarded for his story about the reconstruction of the museum in Bijelo Polje, which deals with the waste of public money.
"This is a great honor and responsibility, especially when it comes to topics that are not so attractive. My motives were public interest," he said.
Ivanovic was awarded for an article about the use of facial recognition software, after whose publication the relevant agency banned the use of that software.
Third prize went to Dejan Milovac and Lazar Grdinić for their story about the assets of former National Security Agency (ANB) operative Duško Golubović.
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"This is another award that confirms that the core of MANSA is the fight against high-level corruption," said Milovac, also thanking "Vijesti".
"We enjoyed researching this story, we toured all of Montenegro because the interviewee had property from Žabljak to Budva," he added.
The jury that awarded these awards consisted of Lamija Alečković from Croatia, Leila Bičakčić from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Marijana Camović Veličković from Montenegro.
34 applications from Montenegro were received for the competition.
The representative of the European Union Delegation to Montenegro, Riccardo Seri, said that the EU is proud to support Montenegrin journalism.
"We have seen an increase in the number of submissions, which speaks volumes about the quality. All the stories we have received have been written professionally and fairly. Montenegro has a rich and diverse media scene," he said.
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