This doctoral dissertation examines the (de)construction of Yugoslav journalism through the concepts of autonomy and journalistic action. It analyses the functioning of journalism in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) from 1963 to 1992. This three-decade span allows for a genealogical examination of the (dis)continuities and political transformations that shaped journalistic autonomy. The study focuses on the relationships between the internal logic of journalistic institutions and their external logic, namely, the socio-political system, and on how the interaction of these logics intervened in the professionalisation of journalism, the formation of the journalistic field, and its autonomy (understood as relational autonomy). Autonomy is closely intertwined with action. The dissertation demonstrates that autonomy is not a given, unambiguous, or predetermined concept, but rather a process and a project in the making, continuously (re)defined in dialogue with historical events and social, political, and institutional changes. In the case of the SFRY, it is assumed that the reforms and events of the 1950s significantly reorganised key subsystems and organisations, including systems of social communication (journalism) and information. These changes triggered processes of modernisation, (self-)institutionalisation, and professionalisation, enabling higher journalistic standards and the emergence of autonomy. In this context, the self-governing socialist vision represents a central ideological framework, contributing to social democratisation and the decentralisation of political power. As journalists of the period are understood as historical subjects, they were afforded opportunities to play an engaged role in establishing professional integrity and collective (journalistic) autonomy. The primary methodological approach is oral history, based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with journalists who were professionally formed in the SFRY and who experienced this period firsthand. Interviews were conducted in three former socialist republics: Slovenia (43), Croatia (12), and Serbia (14). The empirical analysis presented in the dissertation focuses primarily on findings from Slovenia. The results indicate that, despite their political embeddedness, Yugoslav journalistic institutions, by establishing professional integrity, status, and credibility, made a significant contribution to (self-)institutionalisation and to moments of autonomy within the one-party system. This contradiction opens space for critical reflection on the historical processes woven into institutional journalism and on their ongoing (re)production.
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