Community Donates 125,000 Dinars to Support Student Media in Novi Sad

A fundraising campaign for student media at the University of Novi Sad successfully gathered around 124,830 dinars, demonstrating strong community support for independent student journalism.

The initiative, titled "(Po)vezivanje generacija" (Connecting Generations), was organized by the Department of Media Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy. The event included an auction where attendees could purchase books, ties, personal items from notable journalists like Petar Petrović, professors such as Jan Briza, and engineers like Jovan Stošić. Additionally, graphics and prints from Novi Sad artists and books from the Nojzac publishing house were available.

Nataša Kovačev, a journalist, highlighted the importance of student media, drawing parallels to the past. She recalled Professor Briza's help with her thesis on "Prozor," a publication that informed citizens about wartime events in the 1990s when official media lacked independence. Kovačev emphasized that today's media landscape, where public services and major outlets often fail to report on crucial issues, necessitates finding new "windows" to inform the public, making the "connecting generations" initiative highly relevant.

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Now I understand what that means to us in our current times when the full circle has turned and we are again in a situation where we have to think of new windows through which we need to inform the public about what public services or most major media are not reporting on, and that is why I think this connecting generations makes a lot of sense.

Journalist Igor Mihaljević spoke about his former editor-in-chief, Petar Petrović, describing their time at Dnevnik as "very interesting, turbulent, and engaging." Mihaljević credited Petrović with teaching him to maintain his integrity and independence as a journalist, stating, "The reason I am a free, independent, unemployed journalist is, among other things, because Petar Petrović taught me how to use my backbone."

The funds raised will directly support student media, ensuring they can continue to provide alternative and independent reporting in a challenging media environment.

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The reason I am a free, independent, unemployed journalist is, among other things, because Petar Petrović taught me how to use my backbone.