On the basis of Article 10 of the Decision on the City of Belgrade award (City of Belgrade official Gazette No. 5/03), the Award Commission for Journalism, consisting of Slavoljub Djukic (chairman), Neda Todorovic (member), Dusan Radulovic (member) and Srdjan Bogosavljevic (member), at the session of March 31, 2004, made

A Decision

to present the City of Belgrade Award for Journalism in 2003 to Veran Matic, editor-in-chief of Radio Television B92.

Explanation

This year’s extraordinary competition for the journalism award has freed the commission of any fear that the award will not end up in the right hands. At the same time, it gave the commission a problem in deciding which of several exceptional writers and personalities should receive the award. In such a strong competition, Veran Matic has been given the award because, as leader of a large team, he has fundamentally contributed to the preservation of the independent editorial concept of RTV B92, a company which will celebrate its fifteenth anniversary this May.

To list all Veran Matic has been involved in and has achieved, even in the past year, would take a long time. It is worth mentioning that he is the author of a series of analytical articles and commentaries published in the international press and that he was taken part in many forums dealing with the development of media, human rights and democracy in this country and the world. Under his leadership, through radio and television programming, internet content and forums, print and music publications, as well as the activities of the Cinema Rex cultural centre and the B92 concert agency, B92 has not only contributed to the ensuring that Belgraders are well-informed, but has also taken part in enlivening and creating many aspects of the capital’s cultural and public life.

Consistent commitment to impartiality, well-balanced reporting and respect for human and civil rights have made RTV B92’s current affairs programming instantly recognisable.

We should emphasise the successful privatisation of the B92 media company, using a unique model which provides for equal representation of all employees as well as efficient management and attracting investors. To a large extent this is the result of Matic’s work.

At a time when market competition forces media to adapt to mass tastes, B92 has not relinquished even one of its basic foundations. More and more, under the leadership of Veran Matic, this company has become an institution of opposition to the flurry of kitsch and political abuse of the media, while at the same time broadening its reach and improving its ratings.

This simultaneous expansion of influence and establishment of market position is the main feature of Veran Matic’s work and gives extreme significance to all other aspects of his personal work and contribution.

President of the Commission
Slavoljub Djukic