Nezavisne Novine [Independent News] is a weekly paper from Banja Luka. Their on-line edition carries full reprints of most articles from the paper edition. All content is in Serbian. It is one of the most influential alternative media in the Republic of Srpska and in 1998 had the corculation of about 9,000 copies. It is considered to be close to Prime Minister Milorad Dodik. During the NATO attack on FR Yugoslavia, similarly to Reporter, the magazine carried many interviews with opposition politicians from Serbia and recruited one of the best known Serbian political commentators, Aleksandar Tijanic, formerly of Dnevni Telegraf and Evropljanin, who continues to publish his columns Nezavisne Novine. Consequently the Serbian authorities have also tried from time to time to block the sale of the weekly in Serbia. On June 10 1999, Gradisa Katic from Nezavisne Novine reported that June 9 issue of Nezavisne Novine was confiscated by the Serbian authorities.

Recently, Nezavisne set a precedent by publishing the first articles ever by a Srpska based publication about war crimes committed by Serb paramilitary units during the was in Bosnia. The first article was followed by a series of articles investigating several weeks long campaign of violence and intimidation by the paramilitary unit "Mice" in Teslic. The recent issues of the magazine have also included daring interview with significant political figures from the war period, as for example war time mayor of Banja Luka Predrag Radic, which examine their record during the war.

On October 22, a bomb exploded under the car used by Zeljko Kopanja, the editor-in-chief and founder of Nezavisne Novine, as he was opening the door. as the result of the assassination attempt, Mr. Kopanja has lost both of his legs, but is expected to recover. So far, three theories have been put forward as an explanation for the attack. According to the first one, Kopanja was attacked because of the recently published series of articles about crimes committed by Bosnian Serb irregulars during the war in Teslic and on Mount Vlasic. According to the second theory, the attack is actually a warning to the Prime Minister of Srpska, Miodrag Dodik, who provided funding for the launch of the paper. Nezavisne Novine is considered to be a pro-Dodik publication. The last theory is that the exposure by Nezavisne Novine of numerous cases of corruption and embezzlement in Srpska provoked one of the participants in these scandals to retaliate.

So far the Police does not have any leads in the case, and the paper continues to publish and its editorial staff vow to continue the same editorial policy.

Although the paper strongly denies any bias in its editorial policy and is open to various political options, the following introduction to the December 22 1999 interview with Prime Minister Milorad Dodik clearly shows which way the editoral-board is leaning: Two years ago, when he was elected the Prime Minister of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik clearly expressed his support for the Republic of Srpska as defined in the Dayton Peace Agreement. Since in the meantime he hasn't deviated from his principles by a single inch, the Republic of Srpska has experienced affirmation, resulting in larger foreign donations. Because of all that, Dodik has become a thorn in the side of both the ruling parties and the opposition in the Federation Bosnia-Hercegovina, and his political opponents in Srpska. They try to misinterpret and deny the importance of his every move.(Nezavisne Novine, interview of Milorad Dodik by Radmilo Sipovac, December 22 1999)

Srpska press
Last Update 7/14/2007