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🇷🇸 Serbia /Conflict & Security

Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation records 107 verbal attacks on journalists in August, most linked to Vučić

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation recorded at least 107 verbal attacks against journalists and media outlets in Serbia during August, averaging nearly 3.5 per day.
  • President Aleksandar Vučić accounted for the highest number, with 22, followed by several Serbian Progressive Party officials.
  • The foundation said 70% of the attacks targeted outlets formerly associated with United Group, while officials criminalized journalists or media in one-third of cases.

At least 107 verbal attacks on journalists and media outlets were recorded in Serbia during August, according to monthly monitoring by the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation. That amounts to nearly three and a half attacks a day.

A pirate scheme

· Boris BratinaSerbia’s information minister used the phrase to describe N1 and Nova S.

President Aleksandar Vučić was linked to the largest number, with 22 statements. Serbian Progressive Party lawmaker Nebojša Bakarec followed with 19, Vladimir Đukanović with 13, Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić with 11, and SNS parliamentary group leader Milenko Jovanov with nine.

The foundation said the attacks focused on changes to the management structure of United Group media, the anniversary of protests in Valjevo where police violence had been recorded in August 2025, election announcements and opinion polls, and incidents at an SNS rally in Užice. In 33% of cases, it said officials criminalized journalists and media by accusing them of seeking to bring down the state and government, provoke civil war, operate illegally or spread hate speech.

Political project

· Aleksandar VučićThe Serbian president described the media as a foreign-funded project aimed at bringing down the government.

Some 70% of the recorded attacks targeted newsrooms and journalists formerly part of United Group, including N1, Nova S, Danas and Radar. Cenzolovka, the Izlaz portal, Radio Free Europe, Vreme and KRIK were also targeted.

Exclusively to Serbia’s detriment

· Darko GlišićThe minister characterized the outlets’ editorial policy while criticizing their coverage.

The foundation cited officials’ responses to the media-management changes. Information Minister Boris Bratina called N1 and Nova S part of a “pirate scheme,” while Vučić described them as a foreign-funded “political project” aimed at bringing down the government. Minister Darko Glišić said their editorial policy had been “exclusively to Serbia’s detriment” and aimed to “provoke civil war.” The foundation said such statements formed part of years of campaigns to discredit and criminalize journalists critical of the authorities, particularly those working for United Group media. After clashes at the SNS gathering in Užice, officials also accused N1 and Nova S correspondents of directing or coordinating violence, while journalists faced physical attacks and interference with their work.

Provoke civil war

· Darko GlišićGlišić accused the outlets’ editorial policy of pursuing this goal.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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