The editorial offices of the daily newspapers "Vijesti", "Dan" and "Pobjeda" have launched a campaign to promote print media in Montenegro.
Today, the editorial offices in Podgorica's Pazar, on Independence Square, organized the start of the promotion, with discussions and sharing of newspapers, as well as books from the rich publishing editions of all three media houses.
During the promotion, numerous citizens stayed at the stands, talked with journalists and editors, took copies of the daily newspapers and showed interest in the publishing editions. The action took place in an open and direct atmosphere, with great interest from passers-by.
Kadić Bojanić: A great day for Montenegro
Executive Director of "Vijesti" Marijana Kadić Bojanić said that this is a big day for Montenegro.
"...That three print media outlets – 'Vijesti', 'Pobjeda' and 'Dan' – have united. In fact, today we are showing how important loyal competition is. Competition that encourages each other to be better, and to do better and bigger things for Montenegro together as a guild," she said.
She emphasized that today's event is important because they want to draw the attention of the public to the fact that professional journalism lives in newsrooms.
"In newsrooms where journalists and other media professionals work, they investigate, search for information, check, and only then publish. We are witnesses that dozens and hundreds of various companies are registered for media activities. We also have a large number of portals that are not registered. These are media, or quasi-media, that very often publish disinformation. That is why it is very important for citizens to understand that professional newsrooms are actually the foundation of professional journalism," Kadić Bojanić pointed out.
She called on all citizens to support this, as she said, major campaign that will last until mid-May.
"We also call on the Government of Montenegro to think carefully about how it should support professional media - through tax breaks and various other projects such as those implemented by European Union countries. We see that despite all technological changes, print editorial offices and print media in the European Union continue to survive, because they are recognized as the foundation of journalism," she said.
Kadić Bojanić assessed that the biggest challenge for print media in Montenegro is the lack of a market.
"Our market is very small and subject to political and economic pressures. Regulation is not improving, but rather worsening, and everything seems to be further weakening the print media, even though the state should show greater responsibility and take a different approach towards us," she said.
She added that a major problem, not only in print media but also in all private media and companies, is the lack of professional, trained employees who are "flocking" to the state sector.
"We have data that every third employee works in the state or public sector, which is unsustainable not only for the economy but also for the private sector. Young people need to be returned to true values and we believe that this action will encourage broader thinking about this," she pointed out.
She said that we must come to terms with the fact that we give priority to electronic media and portals, but print media carry great value.
"We all love that sound with our morning coffee when the newspaper rustles under our fingers, as well as everything that all three editorial offices provide to readers, magazines, books and the like. And that's why I'm in favor of print media living as long as possible, and how long it will last depends on us," said Kadić Bojanić.
Zečević: A historical event
Director and editor-in-chief of "Pobjeda" Nenad Zečević said that this is a historic event for Montenegro and the print media.
"This is the first time that all three print media have organized a joint project. The essence of the project is to show that the press still exists in Montenegro and is still strong. I will say just one thing. Print media are among the 5 most influential in Montenegro. Just look at what portals would look like if there were no print media. Print media bring quality, investigative articles and bring what is of the highest quality in Montenegrin society," he said.
Zečević assessed that digitalization is the biggest challenge facing print media.
"People have lost the habit of buying and reading print media. The state should enable print media to survive through a system of tax breaks and a special media fund," he pointed out.
He also said that he believes that print media will retain its values and quality for a long time to come.
"In the author's text published today in all three media outlets, I assessed that we too must change. If we continue to behave inertly, our lifespan is five to ten years. With a combination of social networks and other digital platforms, I think print media have a chance," Zečević concluded.
Milutinović: "Vijesti", "Dan" and "Pobjeda" have taken on the job of preserving print media
"Vijesti", "Dan" and "Pobjeda" have taken on the job of preserving print media, and we all know that traditional media are practically the foundations of journalism, and we hope that they will be in the future," said the editor-in-chief and co-owner of "Dan" Mladen Milutinović.
As Dan writes, he said that he believes that these three media outlets are making significant efforts to maintain this tradition.
"We will try to confirm this exceptionally organized action in the next steps, and in the cities where we will have such promotions, to show and prove to this society that it must pay much more attention to the values that were and are creating the future. I would like to convey to you just a part of my satisfaction with how much these three editorial offices have had joint coordination and cooperation in the past days. A kind of guild alliance that does not know the editorial policies that are certainly specific to each newspaper, especially since this makes the action itself particularly worthy of attention, especially from society and institutions that need to support us in this important social project," said Milutinović.
Milutinović said that something in that direction has begun through the institution of the Fund for the Development and Assistance of Media Pluralism in Montenegro, but he thinks that some comparative experiences that exist in more developed countries where the media are supported much more significantly should also be looked at.
"It is precisely because of these values that I talked about and why a society must understand that no mobile phone or anything that is not tangible and cannot be checked and signed can replace an editorial office. And that is evident in our case, and we are trying to impose precisely such values as facts that society simply cannot nullify in the face of them," he said.
EU Delegation: Excellent example of unity that Montenegro needs on its path to the European Union
The Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro announced that with the joint campaign, "Vijesti", "Dan" and "Pobjeda" are making an important contribution to the popularization of the press, the promotion of professional and responsible journalism and the fight against disinformation.
"A great example of the unity that Montenegro needs on its path to the European Union!", the Embassy stated on the X network.
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