Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) is a membership-based NGO that gathers more than 3500 freely associated professional journalists (about 1000 are active members). Established in 1994 by journalists, dissatisfied with the work of the Association of Journalists of Serbia. The initiators were members of the Management Board of the Solidarity Fund and representatives of about thirty newsrooms throughout Serbia, mostly gathered in the Independence Trade Union, among which there were many who left the Association of Journalists’ of Serbia. IJAS is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) from 1994.
IJAS vision is a free and informed society, with a legally and economically regulated media market according to democratic standards, in which journalists and other media workers unhinderedly inform citizens in the public interest, in accordance with the professional and ethical principles of the profession.
IJAS mission is to use powerful and proactive public actions to protect the rights of its members and other media professionals in Serbia systematically improves professional standards and promotes ethically responsible journalism.
Key values: independence and consistency in the application of the highest professional and ethical standards in journalism, transparency of work, anti-discrimination, tolerance, participation in decision-making, responsibility, solidarity with colleagues.
As a result of its monitoring and research activities, IJAS has position itself as a go-to organisation to stakeholders interested in timely and correct information about the position and safety of journalists and media-related legal framework. It has been recognised as an agent of change and a leader of an informal Media coalition by different donors. The European Commission awarded IJAS a regional grant aimed at strengthening journalists’ associations in the Western Balkan.
IJAS most important activities include constant monitoring, registering and acting upon violations of human, professional, labour and other rights of journalists and violations of media freedoms in Serbia, research and analysis of current media policies, development new solutions and advocating for their implementation. Additionally, IJAS is one of the founders of the Press Council and actively promotes the implementation of the Ethical Code, encourages independent and investigative journalism, professional development of journalists, etc.