Serbia at the top of the ladder in number of attacks on journalists, at the bottom of Media Freedoms: How to fix the disproportionate statistics? – Society

The last report of reporter without borders, in which the media freedom continued to deteriorate with our country, testifies the last report of the Reporter without borders.

Although Serbia is at the World Media Freedom Index for two positions and now occupies 96. Place of 180 countries (RSF) for the EU and the Balkans, because the total media freedom index was recorded at the country.

According to the media freedom index, Serbia is still ascended in the category of countries with a « difficult » situation in terms of media freedom, which is the second worst category of a total of five, it conveyed Nuns.

Serbian fell by 0.92 points (at 53.55 points from maximum 100), which represents the lowest result of our country in 23 years since the media freedom index is conducted.

The RSF report was found to be further polarized by anti-governmental protests during 2023. and 2024. years, journalists often attack members of the ruling elite, which are enhanced by individual national TV channels.

« Neither politicians nor state institutions, including the regulatory body for electronic media (REM), whose members mostly appoint power, did not show the will to fix the situation. » The report also stated that journalists in Serbia continue to attack due to their work, but also because of its sex, and national television and prehension tabloids often violate ethical standards in reporting on violence against women and national minorities.

When it comes to the security of journalists, the conclusion of RSF is that those in Serbia still do not feel protected.

The worrying statistics have recently presented Marija Babić, a lawyer of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia, since the beginning of 2025. Recorded 125 attacks and pressures on journalists and journalists, and in the entire last year 166.

And according to the data reported by a permanent workgroup for the Security of Journalists and the President of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media, Veran Matić, was only one conviction, from 62 registered attacks on journalists. According to him, it is minimal in relation to 13 convictions in the previous year.

At a recent meeting of a permanent workgroup for the Security of the Journalist, Babić has pointed out for many years, newspapers, primarily by verbal threats, but that the trend of increasing the number of physical attacks on journalists can be seen in the last two years. It considers that the more growing number of attacks and pressures on journalists are the situation in society and how generally people treat journalists, primarily representatives of institutions and the highest state functions, and their behavior is « topping » and ordinary citizens.

Babic assessed that there will be progress on the safety of journalists when changing the atmosphere in society and realize how important the journalism is important, with increasing consciousness not only in executive functions, but also in the Prosecution, the police and the judiciary.

Diading results

– Although I personally participated in her establishment and invested high hopes in her, I must say that the results of the Working Group for the Security of Journalists, which once established the Prosecution, Police and Journalism and Media Associations, more than devastating. Proof of this is easy to say: the longer the group worked, the safety of journalists in Serbia was worse. The matter also stands with some other platforms in which the state participated, and which they have really concerned that journalists are safe, especially those from independent media, as well as their fanatics and Lunatics – says Nedim Sejdinovic.

According to his vision, the immediate reason for the inefficiency of these bodies is hidden in the fact that institutions in this country, are told the mildest, dysfunctional.

Sejdinovic points out that something as a working group would make sense only in the country where there is a rule of law. As it emphasizes, its work may only make sense as exercise for some future times, when state institutions are released and returned to their purposes.

If so what we ever welcome.

« We come to a key problem when it comes to the security of journalists in Serbia. The thing is simple as beans. There are human and regime in power that are primarily enemies of freedom of speech and critical thinking. If I could, they would shoot media freedoms. They are, which is constantly, directly and indirectly, uncomfortable or concealed, but certainly consciously and deliberately endanger the safety of journalists, intending to scatter them and devastate them. Thus, a precondition to increase the level of security of our colleagues is the shift of this regime. In the last 13 years, evidence was arrived for this for this, regardless of thousands of reports on journalists’ security, which are meaningless to huge money of foreign taxpayers, and in which Sejdinovic said, « Sejdinovic.

Necessary system changes

Slobodan Ćirić, journalist and member of the Association of Journalists of Serbia, is essentially systemic and far beyond the simple show and assumption that, if the power, will improve the situation when it comes to media freedom.

« That, what the people say, it can be, but it doesn’t have to mean. The very change of government, in the sense of « shining Kurt and Burdes », will not mean the new government, as « public information », which can be used as such, to use, group, party interests – states Ćirić.

Betting for the media will not be if it says, and a new government in journalists will see socio-political workers who will serve it blindly, and not fighters for the truth that will serve only to the public.

– I don’t have a prescription and I don’t know the simple answer to your question from being out of the situation where Serbia is at the bottom of the media freedom and at the top of the scoring of the attack on journalists. I only know that the situation will not be improved until essential systemic changes, which will be a personal career and without exception, whose life will be for journalists, whose jobs will be to journalists, truly professionals, brave and well paid, critically re-examine all social phenomena, And if no one, especially the government, did not mix himself into work, « says Ciric.

According to Tamara Filipović Stevanović, the Secretary General of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia, statistics that classify Serbia among countries with the lowest degree of media freedoms and among those with a high number of attacks on journalists are not random.

They are the result of systemic problems that are not solved for years, and for the situation to change, more than declarative support of the media freedom, the interlocutor of Danas is considered.

As some of the key steps along the way, it lists an effective institutional reaction, ie that every attack on journalists must be urgent and thoroughly investigated, and responsible processed. Preceating attacks, Emphasizes Filipović Stevanović, encourages new pressures and creates an atmosphere of impunity.

He also says that political will to protect journalists, and that government representatives and public officials must stop targeting independent journalists and media, because such rhetoric often precedes pressure, threats and attacks.

Our interlocutor points out that independent institutions should be strengthened.

– The regulatory body such as REM must work in the public interest, not in accordance with political interests, while public services must be truly independent and responsible to citizens – says Filipović Stevanović.

There is also support for local and independent media through transparent and fair coinuation of projects of interest and assignment of funds to those who really work in the public interest, and not politically eligible, which is currently the case.

– The change of statistics does not come overnight, but politically responsible must recognize that free media is not a threat but the foundation of a democratic society – says Tamara Filipović Stevanović.

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union