DUE TO ITS IMPORTANCE, SRNA DESERVES NOT ONLY MEDIA ATTENTION BUT ALSO ATTENTION OF ACADEMIC COMMUNITY

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, APRIL 11 /SRNA/ - The News Agency of Republika Srpska - SRNA deserves not only media attention but also the attention of the academic community due to its importance not only in the informational sphere but also in a broader public, social, and international context, said Professor Dr. Vuk Vučetić.

Vučetić, co-author of the scientific paper The Role and Importance of the News Agency SRNA, together with journalism master Miroslav Jokić, stated that this is the first academic article dedicated to SRNA, which is the backbone of the media system of Republika Srpska. "It is one of the most important sources of information not only for the media but also for the general public, and it has practically remained, to this day, one of the most significant sources of information in that regard,” Vučetić told SRNA. According to him, this scientific paper focuses primarily on the early development of the SRNA Agency, and its founding can be seen as a symbol of the statehood and national identity of Republika Srpska, in which context its second important role is reflected, namely, its international and diplomatic function. "SRNA goes beyond its basic informational function and is an important actor in international diplomatic relations, as well as in the socio-cultural life of Republika Srpska," Vučetić said. He added that news agencies are a kind of “window to the world,” noting that during the war in BiH, SRNA had agreements with major global news agencies. "Through those agencies, news from Republika Srpska reached international channels, and this was important both for the promotion of political positions from Republika Srpska and for creating a kind of positive image of Republika Srpska in the international context," Vučetić emphasized. He also stated that SRNA correspondents in global centers often acted not only as journalists but also as informal ambassadors of Republika Srpska, sharing information and perspectives in conversations with foreign media and political actors. Another conclusion of the paper is that SRNA also played an important socio-cultural role and served as a platform for gathering prominent figures from media, science, politics, and public life. Journalism master Miroslav Jokić emphasized that SRNA has, since its founding, been synonymous with the media system of Republika Srpska and one of the key associations with its development and survival. "Although many once viewed it as a wartime media outlet without a future in peacetime, our agency continues to operate successfully three decades later, following global trends in news agency journalism," Jokić told SRNA. According to him, the importance of the SRNA Agency for the information system of Republika Srpska has also received academic validation through the publication of a scientific paper in the highly ranked journal Politeia, whereby it has been demonstrated through scientific methods that the agency functions as a kind of backbone of the media system of Republika Srpska, with significant influence in other areas as well that are important for social development. "If the two of us, co-authors of this paper, Professor Vuk Vučetić, who initiated this research, and I, could be somewhat subjective in assessing the importance of the SRNA Agency, science does not accept emotions and does not recognize general, subjective assessments, but insists on facts," Jokić stated. Jokić noted that this research is the result of many years of successful and mutually beneficial cooperation between the SRNA Agency and the University of Istočno Sarajevo, and that this natural connection between the institutions has been further enriched through cooperation between the Department of Journalism at the Faculty of Philosophy in Pale and SRNA, including the practical training of journalism students at the agency. "I explain this cooperation to students using the example of medicine, because what a clinical center is to medical students, SRNA is to journalism students," he emphasized. The scientific paper The Role and Importance of the News Agency SRNA was published in the 26th issue of the scientific journal Politeia, issued by the Institute for Political Studies in Belgrade and the Faculty of Political Sciences in Banja Luka. Politeia is classified as an M51 journal, meaning it is a top nationally significant academic journal. To be published in this journal, papers must pass a strict double peer-review process, and the scientific paper on the News Agency of Republika Srpska, SRNA, was published under these standards. The authors of the paper are journalism master Miroslav Jokić, a long-time journalist and editor at the SRNA News Agency, and Professor Dr. Vuk Vučetić, a former journalist of this media outlet. Both authors are currently employed at the Department of Journalism and Public Relations at the Faculty of Philosophy in Pale, where SRNA has maintained a successful and continuous collaboration since the department's establishment. SRNA was founded on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1992 in Pale, by decision of the National Assembly of the then Serbian Republic of BiH.