Serbian Newspaper Earns “Freedom of the Press” Award
On World Press Freedom Day 2008 (May 3), Serbian daily Danas was awarded the prestigious Concordia award in Vienna. Selected by a jury of the Austrian Press Club, Danas was recognized for extraordinary achievements in publishing in the service of the freedom of press and information. Founded by a group of journalists, Danas distinguished itself from other newspapers in the local market as a politically-oriented daily independent of political and interest group influence and committed to professional journalistic principles.
Despite its achievements, Danas has faced many difficulties during its 11-year history. Even after the democratic changes in Serbia, the paper remained “the only serious daily in the country that has continued to provide readers free and independent news by engaging in pluralism and dialogue and standing up for the protection of human and minority rights, while also nurturing democratic values and a high level of tolerance in Serbian society,“ Professor Johann Fritz, former Director of the International Press Institute in Vienna. Over the years, USAID’s media projects have provided Danas with training and business support and, more recently, with assistance for production of a weekly supplement for the Sandžak region. USAID’s support to the daily has helped it achieve its goal of becoming a serious, independent and self-sustainable national newspaper.
The Pressclub Concordia is the oldest press club in the world committed to human rights, democracy, and the freedom of press and information. It is here that Austrian politicians, economists, artists, private organizations, government and those in opposition account for their actions. The repressive history of former Eastern Bloc countries made the club at Bankgasse 8 also a meeting place for correspondents from Eastern Europe in past decades. Today, Concordia prides itself on its extensive contacts with regional media and for having become, in journalistic circles, the address for the unification of east and west.
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