E-novine was a web portal that published news and commentary from the former Yugoslav countries.
Based in Belgrade, edited by , and "published in Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and Montenegrin languages", E-novine has pro-Western, pro-EU editorial policy. It is also known for its willingness to print defamatory and controversial stories based on rumour and hearsay in the vein of UK's Private Eye or Canada's Frank.
E-novine articles employ a subjective writing style, with elements of gonzo journalism, and are abundant in quotations, sarcasm, satire, and profanity. ''E-novines claims its editorial policy is not aimed at objective and global journalism; it mostly publishes critiques and opinion pieces that scrutinize the day-to-day politics of former Yugoslav republics as well as wider trends within the respective countries' societies. Apart from politics, the portal also deals with issues concerning society, culture, economy, sports and entertainment.
E-novine has faced numerous libel lawsuits, including two by Emir Kusturica and one by journalist Stojan Drčelić.
History
E-novine was founded in November 2007 with Srđan Kusovac as its first editor-in-chief.
Petar Luković took over on 30 May 2008, bringing in a new editorial staff. Referring to itself as "our small heretical medium" due to what it considers to be its own marginalized position on the Serbian media scene, E-novine decided to devote particular attention to Serbian war crimes in the Yugoslav Wars as well as the role Serbian media had in the Yugoslav Wars. The majority of articles it published were harsh political satires and denouncements (written by Luković, Marković, Dežulović, Lucić and others) while s significant portion of the articles is being written by its readers. According to the website's About Us page, by the end of 2008, visits to the site increased dramatically and the number of visitors went up several hundred percent compared to the previous period with over a half of the new traffic coming from the ex-Yugoslav countries rather than Serbia itself.
During late summer 2009 E-novine reportedly faced a shut-down due to financial problems, which the portal claimed were caused by "the pressure from the Serbian regime". The web site remained in business, though, reportedly with the help of its readers' donations.
The beginning of 2010 reportedly led to another critical point under government pressure through its advertisers, and E-novine appealed to its readers again. At the time, editor-in-chief Luković claimed that "only media outlets loyal to then Serbian president Boris Tadić are allowed to be profitable", furthermore claiming that "web advertising in Serbia is monopolized by a handful of agencies, all owned or operated by people with close professional and personal ties to Tadić and the Democratic Party". Nevertheless, Luković vowed E-novine "will continue to be completely independent and keep reexamining any regime that may be in power".
In February 2010, the portal's editor-in-chief Petar Luković described its policy:
Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ad banner
In spring 2012, during the 2012 Serbian parliamentary, presidential, provincial, and local election campaign, E-novine ran a Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) banner on its front page thus endorsing the political party led by Aleksandar Vučić and Tomislav Nikolić, both of whom had previously, for almost two decades, been among the leaders of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS). In reaction, E-novine and its editor Petar Luković received vitriolic, profanity-laced criticism from Nermin Čengić, E-novine's occasional contributor whose Protest.ba pieces were often re-posted on the E-novine portal.