Vasković: It is difficult to be the investigating reporter. But it's harder to be a servant

I am often the target of subtle pressure and verbal attacks, my family is also exposed to that pressure.

Journalist Sanja Vasković shows by her own example that true, investigative, questioning and critical journalism is not dead. There are no more journalists like her in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and there are even fewer in local communities. In the area of the City of East Sarajevo, there is only one investigative media - Spin info. The editor and founder of this portal, and our interlocutor, Sanja Vasković, suffers a lot of pressure because of her work, and politicians do not hesitate to put that pressure on her family members too. Hiding information, misogynistic comments, lawsuits... these are just some of the ways in which the government, as well as the opposition, make the work of our interlocutor difficult. Vasković tells Politicki.ba what it is like to be an investigative journalist in East Sarajevo.

"Perhaps it would be good to mention that a public institution sued me for defamation because I announced that they were operating with a negative revenue, which is a report that they themselves submitted to the assembly, which then accepted the same report" says Sanja at the beginning of conversation.

Politicki.ba: What obstacles do you encounter in your work from the authorities?

- When we talk about obstructions set by the authorities, they primarily concern the denial of the right to information, which is one of the fundamental rights of democracy and the improvement of society. The problem is the (ir)responsibility of those who perform public functions, who in most cases dispose of citizens' money as if it were their own and believe that they do not need to answer to anyone. An good example of this is the case when I waited a year for information that should be available to every citizen, not just a journalist, despite all institutional means, including the recommendations of the human rights ombudsman, I was still denied information of public importance. In addition to the "silence of the administration", obstructions in our work also refers to the attitude towards journalists who critically examine someone's work and their decisions, which is essentially the job of a journalist. Subtle pressures and verbal attacks are common, as well as pressures put on my family. It is also neccessary to mention the example when I was answered by them leaving the podium, which shows the attitude towards journalists, which unfortunately is supported by the current rhetoric of the government by a large number of citizens. If you have a situation where, according to a survey of BiH journalists, as many as 74% of respondents in Republika Srpska consider it justified to sometimes attack or hit a journalist, then something is rotten in our society.

Politicki.ba: Is the government the only one that is obstructing your work?

- Unfortunately no, there is also the opposition. So, the people who should be the responsible political opposition - are not responsible in the least, although there are rare exceptions, a couple of them who, without the leader's permission, still can't do much. Those who are supposed to point out the government's failings and make well-argued criticisms actually deal with minor matters, such as installing lighting and the like, without getting into the essence of the problem, namely corruption and crime. What happens is that at assemblies they publicly thank the authorities (mayor) for giving money for something they proposed, as if it is not money that came from all of us and as if it is not his job to do just that. And the obstruction of my work by the opposition also refers to, believe it or not, not answering questions. They will almost never comment when I call for a statement, which is extremely irresponsible towards those who elected them. So, in East Sarajevo, we are talking about a connected system of government and opposition, where the only problem is these few free-thinking people.

Politicki.ba How difficult is it to work under the circumstances in which you are the only journalist in your town who does investigative journalism?

- Maybe it's difficult, but I don't see it that way, I think it's harder to close your eyes and write in the service of the system, to be a lever for the destruction of society and to live up to this twisted system of values that we live in, as a good part of the media, that is - journalists, do. The only difficulties relate to the already mentioned problems with access to information, not answering questions and possible defamation lawsuits, which are classic SLAPP lawsuits aimed at scaring me, creating some kind of self-censorship, and the like, but in my case they only became a confirmation that I am obviously doing well my job. Perhaps it would be good to mention that a public institution sued me for defamation because I announced that they were operating with a negative revenue, which is a report that they themselves submitted to the assembly, which accepted the same report, but someone thought that by presenting the facts, I am "damaging the reputation of the municipality", which is really absurd. Fortunately, the lawsuit was dropped.

Politicki.ba: What is the position of female journalists and editors in the East Sarajevo region?

- Although I believe that I should not have any privileges just because I am a woman, because those who are afraid to work in investigative journalism should not do so in the first place, there are still differences in the treatment of male and female journalists. Sometimes there are situations where an official, in the absence of an adequate answer to your question, will try to deflect by commenting on your physical appearance or simply saying innapropriate things, which probably would not be said to a man because it could lead to physical confrontation, which is certainly not foreign in our congregations. After all, it is similar to other professions, with the added fact that here, as a woman, you are more exposed to people commenting on your private life than on your journalistic work.

Politicki.ba: Do citizens understand your fight against the corrupt system?

- Although I would not generalize things, it seems to me that as a society we are inclined to authoritarian systems, the cult of the leader and the like, and that the process of transition is very slow, because it is hard for people to understand that they have the right to ask how their money is managed, to express disagreement, etc. Uprising is an unknown concept in our country and most often happens, unfortunately, when an individual's personal interests are threatened. The fight against the corrupt system should be continuous, and every conscientious citizen of this country should be commited to it, and not be an exception and something that fewer and fewer people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are dealing with. And these people, instead of support, are constantly exposed to different kinds of labeling. And I can understand politicians whose "job" is to defend their positions, but I can't understand, for example, the situation when I was verbally attacked by the mayor and when my colleagues were silent or later told me that "I attacked him too", therefore, the question of how public money is spent is considered an attack and this is the kind of parallel universe we live in. What then can be expected from ordinary citizens who are served new stories every day along the lines of "they attack us, we defend ourselves" even 30 years after the war. Admittedly, even though they are quite disappointed with this system, they understand what is right and understand the daily struggle from that point of view.

Politicki.ba: The degree of media freedom in BiH is not at an enviable level, but what is the specific situation in local areas?

- It is clear to everyone that the situation in smaller local communities is really worrying. In this way, I would like to give support to all people who engage in any kind of civil activism in their local communities, because that is really courageous. When we talk about the media specifically in the City of East Sarajevo where I live, there are no investigative media, except for the portal that I edit. The rest are in the service of politics, i.e. the government or the "opposition" and you will not read what I write in other media, neither of them republish my articles, so it is clear to you that we have not progressed at all as far as media freedom is concerned. I'm sorry that fewer and fewer journalists want to do investigative journalism at all, but I believe that we will encourage some new generations by our example, and that no struggle is in vain. We are certainly one step closer to a more just society.

The article was realized as part of the Transition program of the Government of the Czech Republic and with the financial assistance of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Bosnia and Herzegovina @CzechiainBiH. The content reflects the views of the interlocutors who are the choice of the editorial staff of Politicki.ba and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Czech government.