Federal News Agency (FENA) is the news agency of Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) that was created in 2000 through the merger of the agencies BH Press and Habena.
Media assets
News agency: FENA
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
FENA was established by a regulation of the Government of the Federation of BiH in 2000. The agency’s management board is appointed by the government. The board elects the general director and the deputy director of the agency, but these appointments have to be approved by the government.
Source of funding and budget
In 2019, FENA operated with a budget of BAM 3m (US$ 1.9m), most of it contributed by the government in the form of a state subsidy. The figure is the latest data we have identified about FENA’s finances.
Editorial independence
The government controls the editorial coverage at FENA mostly through the appointment of its management board.
There is no domestic statute and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism that would validate the editorial independence of FENA.
October 2023