Newsroom

Independent Newspaper Nezavisne Novine Opens Bosina's Newest Printing Press

June 2002

Nezavisne Novine, an independent newspaper in Republika Srpska and Bosnia’s first truly national paper, will celebrate the grand opening of its new printing press on July 9th in Banja Luka. The new press, delivered in May from Sweden, fulfills the goal of private ownership held by many independent newspapers, allowing for greater autonomy and increased efficiency. Not only will the press help to trim Nezavisne Novine’s own operating costs, but it will also serve to generate additional revenue from contracting printing to other papers.

The printing press also continues the long relationship between Nezavisne Novine and IREX/ProMedia, who has been working with the newspaper to revamp its content and layout. IREX has also been instrumental in guaranteeing the newspaper's survival by providing funding and helping to secure the loan to purchase the press.

Started in late 1995 by Zeljko Kopanja and two fellow journalists with a $1,500 loan from friends and two manual typewriters Nezavisne Novine is the Republika Srpska’s first truly independent print publication. It has been non-compromising in its journalism from its very first issue, featuring stories that tackle taboo subjects: war crimes, the mafia, political corruption, ethnicity and scandals. For its stance the paper has often paid a high price. Shortly after the publication of stories on the execution of 200 Bosniaks by a radical group of Prijedor policemen, Kopanja lost both legs when an assailant planted a bomb in his car.

The attack, however, did not deter the publisher. Instead, the paper has grown. Following a plan funded and developed in cooperation with the USAID-funded IREX/ProMedia program, Nezavisne Novine became Bosnia and Herzegovina’s only national newspaper in October of 2000. It started distribution in both the Serb Republic and the Federation of BiH, opened bureaus in Sarajevo and Mostar, hired correspondents all over the country, redesigned the paper and changed the font from Cyrillic to Latin characters. The new press stands as a further example of how Nezavisne Novine illustrates the promise of independent media in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it continues to bridge the gap between Serbs, Bosniaks, and Croats.

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