More than one-fifth of local media journalists in Serbia earn less than 50,000 dinars (1 euro – 117 dinars) per month, and the same number have monthly salaries between 51,000 and 65,000 dinars, show the results of a research conducted by the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM).
The results of the research published in the report “Analysis of Local Media in Serbia 2024-2025: Economic, Social, and Professional Status of Journalists” indicate that nearly 17 percent earn between 66,000 and 75,000 dinars monthly, 13.3 percent earn between 76,000 and 80,000 dinars, while only one in ten employees in local media earns over 100,000 dinars.
When asked whether their salary can cover basic monthly expenses in the town/city they live in, the majority, or one-third, responded “very little.” One-fifth said their salary covers half of their expenses, while 23.3 percent manage, but with “significant saving measures.”
Due to low pay, 15 percent of journalists work for multiple media outlets, and 8.3 percent have a side job in a completely different industry.
According to the survey results, half of the journalists identified “insufficient salaries” as the biggest problem in local journalism in Serbia. The second-largest issue is the closed nature of institutions towards the media, identified by 21.7 percent of respondents, while 15 percent believe that pressures and threats to journalists are also among the major problems.
When assessing the problems in their newsrooms, almost every second respondent (48.3 percent) indicated that the lack of human resources is a significant issue, 16.7 percent cited job overload, 10 percent reported the absence of fixed working hours and days off, and 8.3 percent highlighted irregular salaries.
Sixty local media journalists participated in the research.
Source: N1
