The Media Council for Self-Regulation (MSS) has been working on the implementation of the accreditation and certification program of media houses conducted by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in the framework of the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI).
It is one of the most important international mechanisms for strengthening professional, ethical and transparent standards in modern journalism, which is implemented in the Western Balkans and Turkey as part of the UNESCO program "Building trust in the media in Southeast Europe: Supporting journalism as a public good".
JTI represents a global standard that enables the media to prove their commitment to ethics, professionalism, editorial independence and financial transparency through precisely defined criteria. In a region characterized by strong political, economic and security pressures on the media, this program has a particularly important role in restoring public trust and strengthening the resilience of professional journalism.
In order to ensure quality and credible application of JTI standards in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, local partners were carefully selected as mentors who provide professional and continuous support to the media during the demanding process of self-evaluation. The Media Council for Self-Regulation, together with the Press and Online Media Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Press Council of Serbia, has taken on a key mentoring and coordinating role in working with the media, providing interpretation of criteria, technical assistance and communication with international partners.
The MSS was recognized by the RFE for its expertise in the field of media ethics and self-regulation, which enabled the JTI criteria to be applied in accordance with the local media context, but without deviating from international standards.
In this phase of the project, the Media Council for Self-Regulation coordinated activities with media outlets and councils from Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. From a total of 15 proposed media outlets, Reporters Without Borders selected daily Pobjeda, radio Antena M, RTV Nikšić and RTV Cetinje as candidates for certification from Montenegro. The MSS, in cooperation with colleagues from Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed four media outlets, of which daily Oslobođenje, daily Nezavisne novine and the Guerilla portal were chosen to continue the process. When it comes to Serbia, Agency Beta, Radio Boom 93 and the Magločistač portal filled out an extensive and detailed questionnaire on the basis of which RSF assesses the fulfillment of the criteria of transparency and professional management.
The importance of the JTI process and the role of self-regulatory bodies were also in focus at the annual conference of the Alliance of Independent Press Councils of Europe (AIPCE), held in September 2025, which was hosted by the Media Council for Self-Regulation of Montenegro. One of the important topics was how journalists and the media in modern circumstances manage to preserve ethical standards despite political pressures, economic challenges and wartime circumstances that further complicate the media environment.
“At a time when the media and journalism are endangered more than ever, when the basic postulates of the profession are systematically questioned, professional and ethical standards become a key means of defending the public interest. Accurate, unbiased and objective information is the only answer to the growing amount of misinformation and manipulation. JTI's cooperation with the Media Council for Self-Regulation in the training of professional media in the Western Balkans represents a strong and concrete contribution to the protection of professional journalism”, said Ranko Vujović, Executive secretary, Media Council for Self-regulation of Montenegro.
The project will continue during the next year, when an even larger number of media from the region will have the opportunity to go through the certification process with Reporters Without Borders. This is to further strengthen the network of professional and responsible media that act in accordance with clearly defined ethical and professional rules.
The entire approach of the Initiative for Trust in Journalism is aimed at the long-term strengthening of ethical journalism and the establishment of a transparent framework that enables the public, advertisers and institutions to recognize media that respect the highest professional standards. By participating in this process, the media from Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia offer to their audience a reliable and independent landmark in an increasingly complex media landscape.
In this phase of the project, a total of 25 media outlets from Europe has received support for alignment with the international standards of transparent, professional and ethical journalism, while currently more than 2,400 media in 127 countries around the world participate in the JTI initiative.
Reporters Without Borders launched this program globally to enable media outlets to adopt the highest professional standards, and the latest cycle of the project is currently being implemented in Armenia, Italy, Guinea-Bissau and Ukraine.
