UNS info

16. 05. 2025.

Author: K. Kovač Nastasić/UNS

Editors at “Politika” Sandra Gucijan and Dorotea Čarnić Declared Redundant; “The Decision Is Political in Nature”

Sandra Gucijan, editor of the weekend edition of Politika, and Dorotea Čarnić, editor of the Chronicle section, have been informed that, by decision of the newspaper’s owner Boban Rajić, they will be declared technologically redundant, meaning their positions will be eliminated through a new organizational restructuring.

As they told UNS (Journalists’ Association of Serbia), they received this information orally in the newsroom a few days ago.

Today, the notice board of Politika displayed the cover page of the “Decision on Amendments and Supplements to the Rulebook on Job Classification of Politika Newspapers and Magazines LLC,” dated yesterday.

However, Gucijan and Čarnić were unable to view the contents of this decision at the time of publication because the notice board’s display case was "locked."

According to the editors, eight days must pass from the date the decision was made and posted before it comes into effect. In practice, this means they are still working and reporting to the office, even though they’ve been informally told their positions will be eliminated.

The editors believe that the dismissals are purely political.

They describe the decision as highly unusual — not only because it eliminates such important positions, but also due to the fact that Politika already lacks sufficient journalists for regular operations.

“Often we work overtime. Editors, in addition to their editorial duties, also write news, reports, and interviews... Working conditions are poor, salaries are low, and due to a lack of journalists we can barely cover all the assignments. There is no redundancy,” they said.

We Never Hid Our Support for the Students – This Dismissal Is a Warning to Others

Dorotea Čarnić states that she and her colleague Gucijan believe the dismissals are politically motivated, as both “have openly supported the students since the canopy collapse and the beginning of student protests.”

“We believe it’s important to take a stand in times like these. And we’ve expressed ours without fear. What we believe is crucial is that our clear stance was seen as a threat to discipline in the newsroom, and that firing us is actually a way to intimidate other Politika journalists,” Čarnić told UNS.

She has worked at Politika for 24 years. Sandra Gucijan has worked there even longer — 31 years.

During that time, Gucijan emphasizes, they’ve adhered to professional standards, followed Politika’s journalistic school, respected ethical norms and the law. They’ve received awards and recognition for their work, as well as great respect from colleagues.

She states that they have never failed to fulfill their duties or done anything that would justify dismissal.

“The Chronicle section covers delicate topics such as the collapse of the canopy, sonic weapons, attacks on students, corruption, and crime... In recent months, I haven’t always agreed with editorial policy, because I didn’t want to participate in protecting those responsible for serious crimes through my writing and editing. My political views never harmed Politika or affected my professionalism,” Čarnić said.

She added that, because of this, entire pages she edited were “scrapped,” and some of her articles or photos removed.

The editors say they have significant support among colleagues in the newsroom, but that journalists are afraid of retaliation and therefore do not speak publicly.

According to them, no one from management has formally communicated or explained the reasons behind this action.

“Editor-in-chief Marko Albunović signed the initiative on Thursday confirming that these two positions were no longer needed, which initiated the restructuring process. The very next day, he went on vacation. He never addressed us, nor informed the editorial board about the situation,” Gucijan said.

She added that this is a person they work with daily, and that his actions were unprofessional and uncollegial.

Gucijan and Čarnić say they will take legal action to protect their labor rights once they receive formal termination notices.

“This is the first time that such immediate dismissals are happening at Politika — it’s never happened before. There were warnings, transfers, demotions, salary reductions, but not firings like this. Which means, unfortunately, this practice might continue,” said Gucijan.

Boban Rajić did not respond to UNS’s inquiries regarding the reasons behind this decision at the time of publication.

Same Owner, Same Pattern – Journalist Vojislava Crnjanski Spasojević Fired from “Novosti” for Supporting Protests

It’s worth noting that earlier this year, journalist Vojislava Crnjanski Spasojević was fired from Novosti — also owned by Boban Rajić — after she posted a photo from a protest in front of the Constitutional Court on her Instagram account.

Her dismissal followed her public criticism of Novosti for publishing personal information of students Lazar and Luka Stojaković.

According to her termination notice, the reason given was that “due to technological, economic, and organizational changes, the employer no longer had a need for the position.”

Crnjanski Spasojević stated that the management, specifically the director who signed the termination, did not consult editors regarding the newsroom’s staffing needs.

Ironically, this award-winning journalist was dismissed less than a month after receiving a recognition from the Novosti editorial board.

According to Article 4 of the Law on Public Information and Media, direct and indirect discrimination against media editors, journalists, or others in public information based on political affiliation or belief, or other personal characteristics, is prohibited.

After her dismissal, UNS described the act as an example of censorship and a way to eliminate journalists deemed uncontrollable or unsuitable by management. They emphasized that such treatment endangers journalists’ positions and prevents them from informing the public about issues affecting the broader community.