Media Association: More than 20 Percent of Local Media Journalists in Serbia Make Less than RSD50,000 per Month

Cameramen(Beta/Armenija Zajmi Besevic)

More than 20 percent of journalists of local media outlets in Serbia make less than RSD50,000 per month, while around one in five are paid between RSD51,000 and 65,000, research by the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) has shown.

The research, published in the 2024-2025 Local Media in Serbia Analysis: the Economic, Social and Professional Position of Journalists, shows that almost 17 percent of local media workers make RSD66,000-75,000, while 13.3 percent are paid RSD76,000-80,000.

Only one in ten local media employees make more than RSD100,000. Asked if their earnings could cover basic monthly costs in the town or area they live in, one third said the money covered a very small portion of expenses, one fifth said that their salaries cover one half of their expenses, while 23.3 percent managed to cover expenses, but with "great frugality."

Because of their modest earnings, 15 percent of reporters work for more than one media outlet, while 8.3 percent have additional jobs in completely different sectors. One half of the journalists who participated in the research said the biggest problem in local journalism was low pay. The second biggest in their opinion is institutions being closed off to the media (21.7 percent), while 15 percent believe pressure and threats against journalists to be among the major problems.