Ljiljana Smajlović
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Ljiljana Smajlović (maiden: Ugrica) (born 1956 in Sarajevo, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia) is a Serbian journalist and current editor-in-chief of Politika daily newspaper.
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[edit] Early life
Ljiljana Ugrica was born into a middle class Serbian family from Sarajevo to mother Danica (nurse, and a ranked member of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA)) and father Mirko (member of JNA's civil service). After finishing high school in her hometown followed by a degree at University of Sarajevo's Faculty of Political Sciences, she received a scholarship for additional studies in Cleveland, Ohio, and then in a French lycee in Algeria.
[edit] Career in journalism
Smajlovic's first job was at Sarajevo's Oslobođenje daily where she gradually advanced to the post of political section editor and later Brussels correspondent. In 1992, after the breakout of war in Bosnia, she moved to Belgrade where she got a job at Vreme magazine. She soon received a fellowship from Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and moved to United States once again for a year, continuing to write for Vreme as foreign correspondent.
She specialized in international relations topics, developing an esteemed reputation, which is why Slavko Curuvija offered her a job as foreign editor at his upstart bi-weekly magazine Evropljanin in 1998.
Following the tragic end of Curuvija's life, Evropljanin ceased publication forcing Smajlovic and other journalist to look for work. She got a job at NIN where she was the Hague Tribunal commentator and later wrote her own column.
In October 2005 Smajlović became editor-in-chief at Politika daily, replacing Milan Mišić. She is the first woman in the esteemed newspaper's century-long history to hold that job.
On January 21, 2006, she wrote an opinion piece for LA Times criticizing both the NATO and the Serbian government for failing to arrest Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, respectively.[1]
[edit] Other endeavours
Smajlovic consulted for IREX's (International Research & Exchanges Board) Serbia media project. This American NGO focuses on independent media, initiatives for women, support for US scholars, and local alumni programming.
[edit] Personal
She was married to a man of Bosniak ethnicity with whom she has a son.
