Croatia
In Croatia, the government and national laws are often an obstacle for a free and open media landscape. The country ranks 48 in the RSF World Press Freedom Index, but has a long way to go to establish real freedom of the press. Especially investigative journalists are in danger of prosecution or intimidation.
Criminalising journalism is deeply embedded in Croation laws. Defamation is p[unishable, for example, insulting “the Republic, its emblem, its national hymn or flag” can lead to three years in prison. Even content that the state labels as “humiliating” has been criminalised since 2013. Besides that, Croatian journalists who investigate corruption, organised crime or war crimes are often victims of harassment campaigns. When they are attacked, physically or online, authorities do not respond at all.
Cross-border collaboration
Collaboration between independent journalists in Europe and connection with their audiences are increasingly becoming key factors for their success. This is especially important in countries where journalists are under increased risk of losing their jobs due to political or economic constraints, like Croatia. With greater support from their societies, these independent voices can become stronger and more impactful. Therefore, Free Press Unlimited is leading the project ‘Enhancing Audience-Supported Collaborations for Empowered Media and Societies’, co-funded by the European Commission.
Crowdfunded journalism
Our aim with this project is to support collaboration between journalists and other media professionals from eight European Union countries, and help them find additional sources of sustainable income through crowdfunding. This will support the viability of independent journalism in EU countries where media freedom is in decline. Journalists from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Czechia and Greece will be invited to create collaborative stories to be pitched and then funded through the crowdfunding platform Press Start.
Photo: Branko Radovanović.