We were eagerly awaited us to become the journalists of Dane – Personal views

Danas’s door was open from the first day, especially young people. And 1997 they came from all sides. There were us with various faculties, but mostly from FPN and philosophical. Although we have not yet rested from college benches each of us can barely wait for « something to write », to see his initials below the newspaper article. We were inexpected to « become » journalists. We just fantasized about it.

That group euphoria took me to have forgotten that I had to finish something else before I sail into journalistic waters. I gave all the exams on FPN, but I was unfinished graduate. I wanted everything at once, now here: to graduate and start working in Danas right away, to finish one life chapter and start another. Together with the day.

Still, dreams are one, reality something else. « You have to get one at a time. First ends that you started four years ago and then come to us, » then told me the first major and responsible editor of Danas Grujica Spasović. I didn’t give up. I was looking for some transitional solution. « You’re really persistent! Well, then we’ll be like this … you’ll be in a newsroom every day and you will work a market barometer. And in the meantime you will save graduate, » he said.

I accepted, even though I wasn’t the clearest thing that there was to be done. A market barometer, as if it were a job, turning a neighbor and ask how much the tomato and potatoes paid. So I imagined my first journalistic task.

If I didn’t do everything like that later I went from Cvetkova Market, Via Kalenic, with a notebook and pencil, what exactly is tomato, why is the pepp of it today than yesterday, whether it is imported or domestic strawberries …

But I was not just in the unbelieving grapes. Everyone in the editorial board had some pain. Especially those who have long baked their craft: editors, my future teachers.

In the first issue, in the first time, the editorial was in the editorial that was not a good time, and it was very bound, if it was difficult, neither the opposition nor Brussels, nor the police, or the police, or merchants of white slaves by grain, neither businessmen with political ambitions. They are right again. « 

I didn’t understand … who says it’s not time to start the newspaper? Since when is the power to understand journalism? Who dares to deny the truth? They did not teach us how professors on FPN. On the contrary.

But it was not mine to think or, don’t give God, I comment on the new socio-political situation in the country. And even less to say aloud what a common man feared most … There will be time for that.

There was no good time either, and not now. It’s like when you want to get a crowd and what you’re always missing you: business, apartment, car … and ’97. I started believing that in life is a real moment today, now and here, and that we return to the unfortunate truth from time to time, to better plan tomorrow.

I graduated in the next month. Not only did I defend my graduate work, but I successfully « ran » a market barometer, learned the names of all the streets, from Jagićeva (in which the editorial office of Danas) to Zelenik. And all the way by the way, as I gave the head: what to put in a black or red onion table, or one … in doubt, I often grumbled in myself: « I better studied agricultural and not the Faculty of Political Science! »

I can feel free to say that I just started learning a craft, because journalism is nothing but a craft. Just as the tailor is learning to shine
So I learned to write too. First of the news, then shorter report, the article, from the Belgrade rubric, from a momentarily of a market barometer, communal problems in Belgrade, public areas, city halls … the learning of the basis of journalism for more than three years. I went so often with Boulevard and a series of Bulevar that they started regularly and sellers with street thesis. They also saw me several times a day. « How are you today, » I’d ask, alluding to my today. « Better than yesterday, » would answer with a smile. So we would start talking. They could hear everything from them: how much they earn, where they get goods, how often they « chase » inspection, which buses are coming to work, there are crowds in transport. Listening to them, I already had a theme I will deal with tomorrow.

It was the start of my whole new, not only business, but also life experience. I started going to the first press conferences. When asked, « What newsroom are you from? » I proudly matched: « From Danas ». They mostly looked at me somehow warm, welcome. Or it was just my desire that everyone knows that someone from Danas were at the conference, that there was still a long time. These were my dreams, beginner dreams, dreams of some new generation of Dane.

I enjoyed it.

That journalism is not only circular, drawn rows and tables and that there are many more emotion to show my next years spent in Danas. My day. And I’ll talk about someone else.
It’s enough for today.

The author is the editor of Dane