Lazarevic: The most challenging thing is being a local journalist, it is difficult to report on those with whom you buy bread

Behind the page stands journalist Andrija Lazarevic, who is also a journalist for the portal Nova.rs.

“Zubin Potok info was actually born from a teenage desire to do journalism.” I started with a Facebook page when I was only 15 years old. At first, it was more of a hobby and an opportunity to share news from our local community. In the first year, the page didn’t have much visibility, but over time, as I developed professionally, so did the page,” the interviewee explained. Contact plus radio.

Since the Covid pandemic, Lazarevic has decided to invest more, as he said, both effort and energy into the page.

“Every crisis in Kosovo, every incident, only increased the visibility and influence of Zubin Potok Info. In 2022, the number of followers has grown enormously, and with it my responsibility as a journalist,” he added.

When asked how he views the responsibility of the local media, especially in the context of Kosovo, Lazarevic pointed out that the local media play an extremely important role, especially in crisis situations.

“For example, the news about the increased presence of the Kosovo Police quickly spread on social networks. Thanks to direct communication with the police, we managed to break the chain of misinformation by confirming that nothing is happening on the ground. “That news had a much greater reach and reception among citizens than alarming misinformation,” he said.

The biggest challenge in his work as a local journalist is, as he stated, the availability of reliable information.

“Sometimes it is difficult to get confirmation from local institutions, which can make it difficult to report quickly and accurately.” Also, since I am not often in the field, sometimes I lack material such as photos to accompany the announcements,” he said.

When asked what is more challenging being a local journalist or a journalist of a media portal in Belgrade, Lazarevic pointed out that it is definitely being a local journalist:

“It is not the same to be a local journalist in Kosovska Mitrovica and in Nis, although it is difficult to be a local journalist in Nis.” Therefore, it is more difficult to be a local journalist in Nis than in Belgrade, but it is more difficult to be a local journalist in Kosovska Mitrovica or Zubin Potok than in Nis. First, let’s just remember the example from May last year, when the wave of arrests started, where journalists have to report on the wave of arrests of fellow citizens every day. We know most of these people, if we don’t know the people directly, we know the families. You often have to report on the people, as I like to say, from whom you buy bread or with whom you buy bread. And various tragic things happen, such as traffic accidents, where you have to fulfill your duty, to convey information. You live in the environment where that person lived or his family lived, but outside of that, I think that in general Kosovo is such a flammable area,” he added.

Lazarevic recalled a whole series of attacks on journalists that took place last year in the north of Kosovo.

He believes that the citizens also know that the media and journalists are not to blame for what happened last year after the violent takeover of municipal buildings by special forces, and he pointed out that the local media in Kosovo reporting in the Serbian language are “the bright spot of journalism in this entire part of the Balkans”:

“Who can teach a lesson in professionalism to the media in Pristina and the media in Belgrade”, he stated.

He therefore believes that the attacks happened because the citizens “couldn’t jump the levels” and demand responsibility from political officials.

“Being a journalist of the Serbian newsroom in Kosovo is a Sisyphean job and too difficult a task,” he said.

How the media in Serbia perceive Kosovo, as well as the citizens, but about other topics related to journalism, listen to the podcast Plus radio contact.