STINA, is an independent media agency located in Split, Croatia. STINA was founded in 1991, with a goal to help reconnect the broken lines of communication in the informational system in the region of former Yugoslavia and with professional reporting challenge media abuse used in conflicts in the regions of former Yugoslavia. STINA is already a well known and respected independent agency in Croatia (STINA is the only independent news agency in Croatia, the other is the state agency HINA), which collaborates with over 70 media: in Croatia, with independent media in other states from the regions of former Yugoslavia (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Macedonia, SRJ – Serbia, Montenegro, Kosov@), with more than 30 independent media from Eastern and Central Europe and ex Soviet Union (Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgystan and Uzbekistan) and certain media in the west (USA, Austria, Switzerland, Germany). STINA has a correspondence and collaboration net consisting of around 50 co-workers in Croatia, other regions of former Yugoslavia, Central and Eastern Europe. STINA has a daily service in the Croatian language and a weekly service in English, with a production and dissamination of more than 700 items a month. With a support from OSCE Mission in Croatia, STINA successfully carried out in 1999 the pilot project for producing radio broadcasts for Croat refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina who are at present in Croatia.

On Croatian media scene, coverage of local communities and their problems is still insufficient and inadequate. Very frequently, local issues get major (national) attention only as scandals and sensations, and coverage and investigation of local situations and local political, social and economic environment is often neglected. Coverage of local issues on local pages of daily newspapers or in electronic media is often predominantly formal reporting with no analytical or investigative approach to local issues and problems.

So, there is a lack of many important functions and aspects local media content should and could have in a democratic society: giving over and starting responsibility and initiative to the local public, total control of government via articulated local public, development of public dialogue about key issues of a local community and development of a civil education grounds, etc. However, local media most often don't have enough money or staff to provide quality information programs - it will instead be realised by development of local correspondent network.

Anyhow, local media and space given in the media to local issues represent an important institution which is developing democratic climate and other institutions, civil society, civil responsibility and engagement - on the local as well as, indirectly, on wide national political level.

Considering relatively modest democratic tradition in Croatian society, such approaches to systematic media coverage of local issues are still insufficiently developed. And if they are present, they appear only in major local communities (big cities) while their surrounding areas (small towns and places) don't get media attention. Quality investigative local journalism is often facing lack of adequate financial support which is also important impediment to the minor media in their struggle to develop corresponding information for targeted communities.

At the end of 1999, STINA news agency started co-operation with daily newspapers from Rijeka "Novi list". The idea is to publish so-called Dalmatian edition of this prominent national daily. By starting Dalmatian edition, "Novi List" made space for major, systematic and critical coverage of local issues in Dalmatian area, but also opened door for development of more quality network of local journalists whose production could be also used by other local media. STINA organised initial correspondent network for covering local issues, problems and processes. By further developing this network, STINA plans to more quality cover local issues with expanding coverage as well as content.

In such context, special attention will be given to investigative journalism which would objectively and critically follow situation and issues in political, social and economical sphere. At the same time, such an approach will enable the public to more clearly locate key local problems, ways, possibilities and solutions; to objectively view and present attitudes and viewpoints of various political, public, civil, social and economical factors; and to contribute to animation of local public opinion to critically evaluate its environment, bearers of political and economical power and to develop individual public civil actions and initiatives.

Special aspect of realisation of this project is its spreading to local radio and TV stations. A large number of local electronic media has no adequate financial and staff possibilities to organise quality information programs which will also cover local issues. If they have information programs, most of those media almost exclusively re-broadcast information programs of foreign radio stations that run programs in southern Slavic languages (DW, BBC, Radio Free Europe, and similar). However, by re-broadcasting these programs local radio stations cover only the most important news at national level, while local content aren't covered at all. In such a way, local electronic media fail to carry out their important functions like coverage of local political, social, economic and cultural life and informing and motivating the local public to tackle the key local issues.

Organisation of local journalistic network makes possible much more quality, variant and cheaper production of information interesting to the local media and thus enables them to take part in development of a democratic, pluralistic and civil society.

Realisation of the project will cause rise in the number of various civil initiatives, better coverage and evaluation of NGOs, increased public interest for solving local issues, etc.