Good morning! Journalism in Montenegro is, for both justified and unjustified reasons, a largely discredited profession. Today, many people claim the status of professional journalists and female journalists, even though there is very little independent, serious, and responsible journalistic work in Montenegro. The controversy surrounding the Association of Journalists of Montenegro and the elections for the RTCG Council has further exposed the state of the profession and shown how much the criteria have deteriorated.
Does journalism exist in Montenegro?
Although I have been working in the media for the past decade, including in one of the most influential outlets in Montenegro, I refuse to identify myself as a journalist. Not because I have a negative view of the profession, but quite the opposite — because I believe the title of journalist must be earned.
By what? First of all, by skill: investigative ability, a sense for detail, writing proficiency, but also vocation — the feeling that you are called to do this work, that you are aware of the duty and mission, and of the role journalism plays in the democratic health of a society.
There are different types of journalism, from tourism reporting to investigative journalism, from local reporting to parliamentary coverage, from international politics to the “pulse of the streets,” which crime reporters deal with.
Despite many talented and hardworking people who often work for low wages and with less protection than many other professions, a large part of Montenegrin journalism has been reduced to cheering for different political options.
Serious investigative work has often been done more by think tanks and NGOs than by the media themselves. The same applies to the fight against disinformation and media literacy.
I have not yet seen a serious investigative story like those we see today in Serbia, for example. I have not seen systematic investigations revealing direct links between organised crime and the authorities. What we read today from Sky (encrypted chat) messages often resembles a reality show in which we follow what one criminal said to another. Where are the investigations into financial flows, political connections, and the real influence of crime on political processes?
Where is the big, serious corruption story?
These days we are witnessing the return of plaques and awards to the Association of Journalists of Montenegro. Honestly, until recently I did not even know they existed, but I see they were quite generous with awards. I am familiar with the Association of Journalists of Montenegro, which looks like a war correspondent office from Pale in 1993.
There are also various councils, bodies, and unions. Among them are people who sincerely fight and care about the profession. External grants also help a lot, without which part of the media scene would hardly survive.
But the information market has its own rules. Citizens often say they are interested in real-life topics, but they rarely read them. This winter, at CdM, we ran a series of texts on education — outstanding journalistic work, almost textbook-level. Citizens were involved in shaping the stories through questionnaires. Yet more people will read what one politician said to another, who argued with whom, or who replied to whom, than a text about the problems children in Montenegro face in schools.
In the context of the pressures under which the media in Montenegro operate — financial, political, and others — it is of utmost importance to preserve journalism. Without it, we would live in constant darkness.
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
Kind regards,
Ljubomir Filipovic
