March 5, 2025 | Wednesday
“While objectivity is essential, journalism is also about choosing what to promote”
Anamari Repić grew up in Prizren in a multiethnic environment, and witnessed both Albanians’ rights being violated during the Milošević’s regime as well as the Serbs fleeing Kosovo after the war. After having left Kosovo, she decided to return quickly after the war and join Radio Blue Sky, to later become a Deputy Director General of Kosovo’s public broadcaster RTK, during which time she helped establish RTK’s Serbian language channel RTK2. Ever since, she has been looking for stories highlighting human efforts towards reconciliation and collaboration.
Europe House Kosovo: How do you remember the start of your career and even earlier, your studies?
Anamari Repić: If we go back, everything in our lives began in the ’90s. Not just in Kosovo but across Europe, especially after 1989. The ’90s were a time of facing reality—Milosevic’s dictatorship, wars, peace agreements, and attempts to rebuild after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. But even after peace agreements, there was no stable period of reconciliation, which I consider the most significant failure. Then, at the end of the ’90s, the Kosovo war erupted, resetting everything.
Living in Prizren, I was aware of the large Albanian community—my neighbors, my friends—who lacked their rights. As I became more conscious of my surroundings, I realized that without equality, nothing was truly resolved. I knew the situation was unjust, but no one expected another war, let alone the atrocities that followed. Having witnessed the wars in Bosnia and Croatia, we understood that Kosovo’s unresolved issues meant it wasn’t over.
I studied at the Teaching Faculty without a clear career path, drawn to multiple fields. Eventually, I earned a degree in teaching, completed a Master’s in Journalism, and now, I am finishing another in Political Science on Balkan Studies. But the real turning point was 1998–1999—a time of personal and collective hardship.
During the war, I was in Prizren, witnessing Albanians fleeing to Albania while hearing tragic news. I knew life would never be the same, and it wasn’t. With another peace agreement, many Serbs left Kosovo, especially from urban areas, leading to another tragedy—uncertainty about the fate of neighbors and friends, Albanian and Serbian alike. It was a difficult period, especially for young people who had to plan their future amid such instability. It felt like year zero.
We had grown up surrounded by ethnic conflict, political instability, and war, making it feel normal. But then came the question: should we continue living in tragedy, or should we start learning how to live in peace? That realization made me return to Kosovo.
Like many others, I applied for jobs and got one at Radio Blue Sky, which was led by the Swiss Government at the time. The team at Radio Blue Sky was multiethnic and working in a multiethnic environment felt like home, as Prizren had always been diverse. As a child, I never thought different languages would become a problem; I was used to listening to different languages in my hometown and I assumed it was normal to hear and learn them if possible.
Joining Radio Blue Sky was a defining moment—another “year zero,” a fresh start post-war. It marked a transition, not just for me but for many. As a young journalist, it was crucial to have the support of colleagues from different ethnic backgrounds. Reporting meant covering reality—problems, struggles, tragedies, and, most importantly, possibilities for peace and reconciliation. We needed to adjust to the new reality. This beginning was complicated but essential.
Europe House Kosovo: How long did you work at Blue Sky?
Anamari Repić: Blue Sky was an international project that eventually merged with RTK. I stayed and became part of Radio Kosovo’s second channel, broadcasting in Serbian and other languages. From the beginning, I was also a correspondent for Radio Free Europe, which solidified my identity as a journalist. My work focused on political developments, human stories, peacebuilding, and reconciliation efforts—reporting on Serbs adapting to the new reality in Kosovo.
Being a journalist is not just a job; it requires constant awareness of everything around you. While objectivity is essential, journalism is also about choosing what to promote—ensuring victims’ voices are heard rather than giving equal weight to war criminals. Working for both radios felt like a mission. I traveled across Kosovo, covering the stories of returnees, missing persons, and the struggles of young Serbs adjusting to political instability.
I continued with Radio Free Europe until 2010, then became Deputy Director General of RTK. During this period, I developed RTK2, the public broadcaster’s Serbian-language channel. Despite my deep involvement in journalism, I was not happy with the slow pace of change. Nonetheless, I knew our role was to contribute, even in small ways. After a few years in RTK management, I returned to field reporting, which I prefer. Now, as a correspondent in Belgrade, I cover Kosovo-Serbia relations, European integration, and regional affairs. The best journalism happens on the ground. Today – as a correspondent from Belgrade – reporting in two languages, Serbian (as my mother tongue) and in Albanian, is one of my biggest challenges in a positive way. It means that I learn and try to change things, to push boundaries, telling that I am not just a journalist, but also a person that respects others. Because that multicultural concept of life, history and feelings that I bring from my hometown Prizren, which my family and I left in 1999, defined me as a human being and as a journalist.
Europe House Kosovo: How has journalism contributed to reconciliation in the region, and what is its role today?
Anamari Repić: In many ways, journalists and the media have failed. While some focused on reconciliation, these stories were often sidelined. The media prioritized daily politics, which is necessary, but reconciliation reporting remained secondary. The entire region, not just Kosovo and Serbia, struggled with this. Civil society organizations promoted reconciliation, but it rarely made it into mainstream politics.
Most journalists stay within their own communities—Serbian journalists reporting for Serbs, Albanian journalists for Albanians. If you step outside that, you risk being labeled a traitor. But that’s our job: to go beyond, to report on the “other side.” The media should do more. Reporting on political agreements often overlooks the human impact. Politicians and negotiators take center stage, but the people affected by these decisions are forgotten.
Looking back at my past reports, I see the same problems persisting today. For example, years ago, I covered a women’s association in Gracanica working to empower women economically. Today, they are still fighting the same battles. Journalism should capture these ongoing struggles, highlighting both the difficulties and the resilience of people striving for change.
Reconciliation reporting starts with acknowledging past atrocities—telling the stories of victims, war crimes, and missing persons. Only then can we move forward. When Serbian and Albanian families of missing persons meet and share their pain, they find common ground. As journalists, we must seek out and amplify these moments. Reporting on tragedies is essential, but so is reporting on those working to build a better future.
The challenge is not just following political narratives but finding and telling human stories that matter. That’s where journalism can make a difference.