The Office of the EU Special Representative supported the campaign led by the Mediacentre Sarajevo to mark the 150th anniversary of “Bosanski Vjestnik”, the first print newspapers in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The first issue of the Bosanski Vjestnik was published on 7 April 1866, as the first printed newspaper in Bosnia and Herzegovina, marking the beginning of the modern and regular print media in the country. Only 25 copies of this first issue remained and they were all digitalised in the archives of the Mediacentre Sarajevo.

A special exhibition featuring 60 newspapers’ covers was opened today in the Mediacentre.

“I see this event as an opportunity to underline the significance, not only of the print media, but all media in serving to inform the public and protect freedom of expression, human rights and democracy. In that sense, the European Union attaches great importance to this issue and will continue to prioritise the work on freedom of expression and media freedom in the EU accession process“, said Jamila Milović-Halilović, Acting Head of Communications in the Delegation of the EU and EU Special Representative office. “Watching these exhibits today and at the same time recognising the rise of online media, I would dare to say that this does not mean the end of journalism. On the contrary, online media is not replacing the traditional media – it is creating a very strong competition to them. Newspaper headlines will still afford power, thanks to professional and investigative reporting.”

In marking the anniversary, the Mediacentre today also hosted a conference discussing media and challenges of the digital age that gathered leading BiH journalists, and media professionals.

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