By Vesna Jankovic and Boris Raseta
ZAGREB — ARKzin (the name is a compound of two abbreviations — ARK for Anti War Campaign and zin for fanzine) is the monthly newspaper of Antiwar Campaign Croatia (AWC).
Between September 1991 and May 1992, six issues were published in a small number of copies (500 to 1000) and in the form of the fanzine. In April 1993 a new series was started. Since then seven numbers have been published.
When we started with the new series of changed size and more ambitious editorial concept, in April 1993, we set a six months operative plan with concrete aims, and made a decision to make an evaluation and estimation of what has been achieved. Today, we are proud to say that the plan has been realised.
ARKzin is registered as a newspaper within the authorised ministry. Contracts have been signed with the most important private and state distribution nets, so ARKzin is regularly distributed throughout Croatia, and thanks to the help of its cooperators, distribution has already started abroad (Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany).
We have also succeeded in providing regular delivery of ARKzin in Serbia, as well as in "Krajina", this with UNPROFOR's [United Nations Protective Force] help. Together with a Croatian edition we regularly prepare a summary in English, which is sent by e-mail to different communication networks.
We issue the paper regularly once a month. Our print run, starting with 2000 copies, has increased to 5000 copies. Selling has improved, meaning 70% of copies are sold, and the number of pages has been permanently established at 32.
The editorial staff is stable; the number of regular cooperative team members has increased, not just in Zagreb, but in other Croatian towns too. ARKzin has periodical collaborators from several European countries and the USA.
From the very beginning ARKzin was noticed by the media, but unfortunately, in the great number of Croatian media there were only negative reviews, while Belgrade's Vreme regularly publishes texts from ARKzin.
What has not been achieved, due to financial reasons, is some working space for the editorial staff and necessary equipment. We still do our job in accommodation belonging to the Centre for Peace, Non-violence and Human Rights Zagreb. It is becoming more and more difficult every day because of the amount of projects we deal with in the centre. We have not secured a long-term way of financing yet.
The contents have strictly followed the planned concept:
- information about different civil initiatives and non-governmental organisations in Croatia (apart from the work of AWC, we have paid special attention to women's initiatives, the Croatian Helsinki Committee and the civil initiative for freedom of public word);
- political analysis and comments from the standpoint of peace policy and democratisation of Croatian society;
- systematic observation and promotions of minority rights (position of Serbs and Muslims in Croatia, refugees and banned people, and various marginal groups);
- reports on violations of human rights and freedom of media;
- especially thorough observation of events in Bosnia and Hercegovina, trying to offer more accurate and covered-up information;
- information about democratisation processes in other post-socialist countries, especially in the countries of former Yugoslavia;
- information about youth subcultures and continuing publishing of antiwar stories.
ARKzin is a critical and alternative paper, a unique and outstanding paper in the Croatian media. The editorial staff assembles and offers opportunities to a number of young journalists to publish their own articles for the first time and to gather new experiences and knowledge of journalism, computer usage and new information technologies.
It also gathers together activists from different initiatives, makes contacts and cooperates with young graphic designers and illustrators. The editorial staff are multi-ethnic (its members and ARKzin cooperators are young journalists, refugees from Bosnia and Hercegovina), and the editorial decision is to stand for this in future, to promote multiculturalism and tolerance.
[Abridged from a report on Pegasus. Vesna Jankovic is the editor of ARKzin and Boris Raseta the co-editor.]