Media Party 2017

We created the most comprehensive online database of assets of Serbian politicians, which currently consists of property cards of all ministers of Serbian government and all Serbian presidential candidates running in 2017 Elections. The database was launched to help Serbian citizens to better understand who are the people running their country and promote greater transparency. Each profile (property card) contains information about apartments, houses, cars, companies of current ministers and presidential candidates, and details about how they came to possess them. The database provides information on which of these politicians had been building without permits or own illegal buildings. There’s also data about their credit, leases, and about people with whom they’ve collaborated and committed offenses. The information within the profiles are based on official documents. The database has contributed to higher government transparency and now, Serbian citizens are familiar with information that politicians were otherwise trying to hide from them or was not easily available to them. While working on this project journalists were exposed to pressure and sabotage. Some state institutions violated the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance and refused to provide us with data. Our journalists were monitored and recorded on mobile phones by different unknown persons. KRIK has been the target of several media attacks by the pro-government tabloids and other media close to the government and criminal circles. The database was awarded by Data Journalism Award 2017 in the Open Data category.