He became particularly well known as a political columnist writing for the Split-based weekly newspaper "Nedjeljna Dalmacija", which soon earned him the moniker of "the giant of Croatian journalism". In his column titled "En Passant" he often expressed views critical of the Yugoslav government and Communism in general - something that his Croatian colleagues, silenced after the collapse of the Croatian Spring, seldom dared to do. His column effectively ended in 1990, following the shift in the newspaper's editorial policy as his column was deemed too critical of the new Croatian vice-president Antun Vrdoljak, although Tijanić was allowed to write one last entry in late March 1991. Simultaneous to his "Nedjeljna Dalmacija" engagement, Tijanić also wrote for Croatian newsmagazines "Danas" and "Start".