PCNEN

PCNEN (an acronym for the First Montenegrin Independent Electronic Newspaper) is one of the first media outlets in Montenegro and it was started by a group of volunteers more than two decades ago, precisely in June 2000.It represents the first successful project implemented by the non-governmental organisation PRONEN, whose goal is to encourage the development of new digital media in Montenegro. The NGO and the website were the response of a group of enthusiasts to society's demands for information and the inclusion of Montenegro in the "civilisation of mobile text".The media outlet was launched during the Yugoslav wars, when the media industry was more polarised than ever. A division emerged between media organisations for and against the war, and for and against the government. The founders of PCNEN chose not to take a stand on important political issues, and instead tried to be a forum for debate and discussion. For that purpose, the organisation launched a column called Inciting Dialogue."It was a provocative metaphor that offered the opposite of the current state of society. They incited us to hatred and war, and we encouraged dialogue," says co-founder Dusko Vukovic.A few years later, the team considered selling the media outlet. However, people from the diaspora came forward and helped with a modest amount of money, and the founders decided to keep it. According to them, it is challenging to maintain independence and enthusiasm after two decades of volunteer work.During the last few years, PCNEN has started to be financed by project-based grant funding. However, the organisation's biggest problem is finding and retaining a team of journalists to write for the media outlet.The readership is diverse, and a large share is the Montenegrin diaspora.