The shutdown of Al Jazeera Balkans has shaken the region's media scene

The regional TV network Al Jazeera Balkans (AJB) is officially shutting down. The last news broadcast was on Saturday (July 12), and previously recorded material will continue to be broadcast until the end of July, after which the signal will be permanently switched off.

Al Jazeera, a Qatari media outlet, has been in existence since November 1, 1996, and launched its Balkans program on November 11, 2011. It was known for its investigative journalism, original documentary series, and regional network of correspondents from Belgrade, Zagreb, Skopje, Podgorica, Ljubljana, and Pristina. It is the organizer of the international documentary film festival AJB DOC, which is held in Sarajevo and brings together authors from all over the world.

The closure of this television station has caused numerous reactions in the media community, but also beyond. The Association of BH Journalists and the Journalists' Helpline stated that the closure of AJB represents "a blow to media pluralism and public interest": "For fourteen years, Al Jazeera Balkans reported on key topics in the Balkans and the world, opened debates on the challenges of peace and stability, and was a leader in documentary and educational content."

Unofficial information: severance pay and additional privileges for employees

This decision also means the termination of employment for all employees. Particular concern is expressed due to the fact that many employees learned about the termination of employment from other sources. BH journalists call on the management of AJB to be transparent and lawful in implementing the dismissals, and to provide support to journalists - including legal and psychological assistance.

The General Director of the AJB, Tarik Đođić, did not respond to DW's inquiry about the reasons for the cessation of broadcasting.

As reported by the Klix.ba portal, the AJB management sent a letter to employees: "With great regret, I am obliged to inform you that, by decision of the owner of AJMN Doha, AJB will cease broadcasting media content on July 31, 2025. In fact, AJB ceases to exist due to changed economic, technical and organizational reasons. Despite all our efforts, we were unable to change the decision."

The same source states that employees were promised severance pay above the legal minimum, with additional benefits whose nature is not yet precisely defined. According to Kliks, the atmosphere in the newsroom on Saturday was both emotional and dignified - marked by a sense of community and professional pride among employees.

Al Jazeera columnist Dragan Bursać: "The beacon of free journalism is going out"

"So what now? Who do we send an article, a column, a cry for truth to now? Al Jazeera Balkans is no more. Incomprehensible, but that's how it is. It's like someone close to you is gone. The closest," columnist and journalist Dragan Bursać writes for AJB in his review of the closure of this regional television station. He points out that AJB was much more than a media outlet - it was, as he says, "a school, a home and an asylum for truth."

He particularly emphasizes the professionalism of the editorial staff: "We knew they wouldn't say 'incident' instead of 'massacre', 'crime' instead of 'genocide'. We knew we were writing the truth – and that the truth would protect us."

Shutdowns also in American service stations

The shutdown of AJB comes at a time when other international media outlets are also under pressure. US President Donald Trump recently signed an order shutting down the Voice of America (VOA).

The media reported that all employees at VOA, as well as Radio Free Europe, were sent "on administrative leave" on March 15th, and in May that the EU would initially take over funding for Radio Free Europe with 5,5 million euros.

The president of the European Federation of Journalists, Maja Sever, warns that the closure of the AJB is a great loss for the public and democracy in the region. "This is not just another blow to journalists and journalism - this is also a blow to democracy. That is why we must all ask ourselves: who is next to be hit by populism, austerity and ignorance," Sever said.

She also recalled the recent dismissals of 26 employees at N1 television, explaining that it was a "reconstruction", and pointed out that journalists from both newsrooms worked bravely in the public interest. "Stop and imagine how many scandals, corruption and theft would have remained hidden if it weren't for journalists," Sever said.

Lejla Turčilo: "A large number of journalists without jobs, a society without supervision"

Lejla Turčilo, a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Sarajevo, warns that the turbulent developments in the media market in BiH are problematic for several reasons: "For the BiH media scene, this is a significant reduction in pluralism and the diversity of sources and perspectives that citizens had available in the context of understanding local and global events."

Around 200 employees at AJB will lose their jobs. "It is hard to imagine that the media market in BiH can absorb so many professionals. This affects not only journalists, but also their families, and it spreads to the entire society," Turčilo tells DW.

She warns that the closure of influential media outlets such as Voice of America and AJB will reduce oversight of social actors, "which opens up space for reduced transparency, especially in political institutions."

"Although all media outlets that are being shut down or restructured were founded from the beginning with a specific agenda, including a political one - as an extended arm of the politicians and states they came from - they were still highly professional and responsible and truly set ethical and professional standards very high. In that context, this is an extremely difficult moment for the media scene, but also for society as a whole," says Lejla Turčilo.

Boro Kontić: Serious destabilization of the media scene in BiH

Media Center Director Boro Kontić told DW that the closure of AJB and Voice of America is a sign of serious destabilization of the media scene in BiH: "I don't want to predict the future of other media, but the issue of survival is seriously threatened. These are media that were the backbone of professionalism and editorial independence here. Honestly, I'm worried."