New book examines ethnic-motivated journalist dismissals in 1990s Croatia

The book “Sve po spisku – etnički motivirani otkazi novinarima devedesetih” (Everything by the List: Ethnically Motivated Dismissals of Journalists in the Nineties) by Rade Dragojević was presented at the Journalists' House in Zagreb. Published by the Serbian National Council (SNV), the investigative study details the ethnic and ideological harassment of hundreds of journalists during the period surrounding Croatia's independence.

Book editor Ivica Đikić described the work as the most comprehensive account of the purges and intimidation that occurred under the guise of protecting the young state. He noted that targets were often identified by their names or surnames, or by their refusal to abandon journalistic ethics in favor of political and wartime propaganda. The study highlights that the ruling HDZ party sought to establish political control over the media, with significant impacts on major outlets such as HRT, Vjesnik, and Slobodna Dalmacija, as well as various local radio stations.

Participants in the presentation, including journalist Tena Perišin and SNV General Secretary Saša Milošević, emphasized the book's importance in documenting the loss of professional livelihoods for those who refused to comply with political agendas.