Among her many achievements, Mila was also a fellow of BIRN’s Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence for 2025–2026, a prestigious programme awarded to professional journalists from 14 countries across Central and Eastern Europe.
Mila was born on July 24, 1981, in Split. She held a degree in political science with a master’s degree in Comparative Politics, and for more than 20 years she covered both domestic and international politics. She was particularly recognized for her work as the editor of the weekly programme Točka na tjedan (TNT) on N1 television.
In 2025, she received the Marija Juric Zagorka award from the Croatian Journalists’ Association for television journalism. The award was granted for her 2024 interview with European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi, a key figure in the fight against political corruption. In that interview, Kovesi revealed how elements within the Croatian judiciary and political establishment had tried to curtail her office’s remit in investigations involving powerful figures within the executive.
Mila’s investigation for the Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence focused precisely on this issue. Her editor on the programme, Neil Arun, said: “Mila had been with the Fellowship for just under a year. We had enormous hopes for the investigation that she was about to complete. She was astute, meticulous and fearless in her work. A true professional, her death is a tragic loss to her loved ones, and to our industry.”
Mila was also a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright scholarship through the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Programme at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in the United States.
She also led the Zagorka Connects project, organised by the Croatian Journalists’ Union. The initiative established a mentoring network between experienced women journalists and younger colleagues at the beginning of their careers, with the goal of empowering women in journalism.
Her colleagues from the Croatian Journalists’ Association paid tribute to her. “Without exaggeration, Mila’s passing is a blow to a democratic society in which the media serves as a foundation, and where committed and honest individuals can make a difference. Mila – a mother, journalist, and colleague – you will be deeply missed. We will continue to pursue the goals and mission to which you were so devoted,” they wrote.
On behalf of journalists from across the region, as well as her fellow colleagues and alumni of the Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, we extend our deepest condolences to Mila’s family, her husband Ismar, their children, and to her colleagues.