Veran Matić
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Veran Matić ( sr-Cyrl, Веран Матић; born May 19, 1962) is a Serbian media manager who was the CEO of RTV B92 from its establishment in 1989 until 2019. He is also the chairman of the commission for investigating killings of journalists established in February 2013 on his initiative and supported by the Government of Serbia. In 1993, he was awarded a CPJ International Press Freedom Award by the US-based
Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists. The '' American Journalism ...
, and in 2000, the Austria-based
International Press Institute International Press Institute (IPI) is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. The institution was founded by 34 editors from 15 countries at Columbia Universit ...
named him one of its fifty
World Press Freedom Heroes International Press Institute World Press Freedom Heroes are individuals who have been recognized by the Vienna-based International Press Institute for "significant contributions to the maintenance of press freedom and freedom of expression" and " ...
of the last fifty years.


Career

Matić graduated from the
University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...
with a degree in
world literature World literature is used to refer to the world's total national literature and the circulation of works into the wider world beyond their country of origin. In the past, it primarily referred to the masterpieces of Western European literature. ...
. He first became involved in independent youth media in 1984, and in May 1989, co-founded the independent radio station B92 with Sasa Mirkovic. The station broadcast a mix of music and current affairs coverage, particularly criticism of President Slobodan Milosevic. The Yugoslav government took various actions to hinder or ban the station from broadcasting, described by
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
as "ranging from jamming, technical problems or the allocation of frequencies". In November 1996, B92 was briefly banned from broadcasting, but responded by making its audio available through the Internet. Though an opponent of the
Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Милошевић, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the President of Serbia between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugos ...
government, Matić also opposed the 1999
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...
. In late March, he published a statement on B92's website titled "Bombing the Baby with the Bath Water", in which he stated that "NATO is fulfilling its own prophecy of doom: each missile that hits the ground exacerbates the humanitarian disaster that NATO is supposed to be preventing." The Milosevic government banned the station from broadcasting for a few hours later in the same week, stating that its transmission strength had exceeded the permitted level. Matić was taken in for questioning, while B92 staff were ordered not to use their phones or computers. B92 staff responded that "The real reason they had to shut us down is because we were informing people about what is going on", and the station continued to broadcast live via satellite and internet, defying written government orders. On 2 April, station management was transferred to Milosevic's
Socialist Party of Serbia The Socialist Party of Serbia (, abbr. SPS) is a populist political party in Serbia. Ivica Dačić has led SPS as its president since 2006. SPS was founded in 1990 as a merger of the League of Communists of Serbia and Socialist Alliance ...
by a Belgrade court. When B92 journalists refused to cooperate with the new management, they were fired. Matić began a new independent station under the name B2-92. In March 2019, Matić resigned from the CEO position of RTV B92, month following the ownership change of the company.


Awards and recognition

Matić won the CPJ International Press Freedom Award of the
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
-based
Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists. The '' American Journalism ...
in 1993. Five years later, he was selected along with
Senad Pećanin Senad is a male given name. In the Balkans, Senad is popular among Bosniaks in the former Yugoslav nations. It is also popular among Albanians. The name comes from the Arabic word sanad (سند), which translates to ''support''.https://www.momju ...
and Viktor Ivančić to receive the Olof Palme Prize on behalf of "Independent media in former Yugoslavia". In 2000, the
International Press Institute International Press Institute (IPI) is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. The institution was founded by 34 editors from 15 countries at Columbia Universit ...
selected Matić as one of fifty
World Press Freedom Heroes International Press Institute World Press Freedom Heroes are individuals who have been recognized by the Vienna-based International Press Institute for "significant contributions to the maintenance of press freedom and freedom of expression" and " ...
of the previous fifty years. The award citation praised him and the B92 staff for having been able to "provide an accurate, impartial view of the tragic events occurring in their region while standing up to constant pressure from the Serbian authorities". The French government awarded him its
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
in 2009, calling him a "humanist, an outstanding journalist and a fighter for the freedom of the press". In 2011, readers of the Serbian magazine ''Hello'' named Matić the "most humane celebrity" of the year for his work with the B92 Fund. In the past year, the fund had supported several soup kitchens and advocated for incubators in Serbian hospitals, a campaign it called "Battle for the Babies". In November 2012, Veran Matic won the Press Vitez Lifetime Achievement Award for his great contribution to the development of television and investigative reporting in Serbia. In December 2012, the Serbian Association of Managers awarded Matić as best manager, in part for his involvement in the humanitarian project Battle for Babies. In the same month, Matić won the UEPS Dragan Sakan – New Idea award. In February 2013, Veran Matic was awarded the Sretenje Medal of honor of the third class, one of the highest national recognitions, "for carrying out social humanitarian campaign 'Battle for the Babies' that contributed to the general welfare of the citizens of the Republic of Serbia". In March 2015, Veran Matic was awarded with the VIRTUS Special Award for the exquisite contribution to the development of philanthropy in Serbia.


Publishing activities

*Co-editor of the book with Dejan Ilić - ''Truths, Responsibilities, Reconciliations: The Example of Serbia'' (Dejan Ilic and Veran Matic, ed., Beograd: Samizdat B92, 2000) *Veran Matic's articles have appeared in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', the ''New York Book Review'', ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'',
Index on Censorship Index on Censorship is an organisation campaigning for freedom of expression. It produces a quarterly magazine of the same name from London. It is directed by the non-profit-making Writers and Scholars International, Ltd (WSI) in association wit ...
,
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The (; ''FAZ''; "Frankfurt General Newspaper") is a German newspaper founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt and is considered a newspaper of record for Germany. Its Sunday edition is the ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung'' ( ...
, ''
Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...
'', ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'', and elsewhere. * Co-author: ''Shaping the Network Society'', edited by Douglas Schuler and Peter Day - chapter 8, ''Civil Networking in a Hostile Environment: Experiences in the Former Yugoslavia'' * Author: KUNSTRADIO - Schaffung des lnformationsraums: "Commando Solo"


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matic, Veran 1962 births Living people University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology alumni Olof Palme Prize laureates Serbian journalists Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany