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The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Jan Bratu, stated that he is deeply disturbed that "the campaign of threats and intimidation against prominent Serbian journalist and media freedom advocate Veran Matić continues."

Written by: Jovana Gligorijević

The title of this text is a line from the song “Gitare morte,” a duet by Arsen Dedić and Kemal Monteno. The music is by Arsen, and the lyrics were created based on the letters they exchanged during the siege of Sarajevo. It is in poor taste to compare anything to the hell of Sarajevo, but here we are discussing a line, not an event.

The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) strongly condemns the threats directed at the President of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Veran Matić, by the Center for Social Stability and demands an urgent and decisive response from the competent prosecutor's office.

To date, 137 local governments, the Vojvodina Secretariat, and the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications have announced competitions for project co-financing of media content for the year 2026.

In the interest of public awareness, the citizens of Vranje have contributed over one and a half million euros in the past decade to finance projects for two media groups – well-known local propaganda outlets. The favoritism shown to these media by the authorities and competition committees is further evidenced by the fact that the media in third place on the top list of the ten "most awarded" in local competitions has received a total amount fifteen times smaller for projects over the last 11 years – approximately 100,000 euros.

Written by: Veran Matić

One of my colleagues, who is also the editor-in-chief of the portal he manages – which I believe does not even generate enough revenue for salaries – was among the most targeted during last year while reporting from the protests. He has the required equipment – both a helmet and protective gear, and possibly some form of body armor – but still left the following message on the X network:

More than one-third of surveyed journalists in Serbia, specifically 37.1 percent, have been diagnosed with a mental disorder or experience mental difficulties, which is more than double the percentage of mental disorders in the general population, estimated at around 15 percent. These findings are presented in the "Analysis of Journalists' Mental Health," prepared by Jovana Gligorijević, Tamara Džamonja Ignjatović, Branko Čečen, Veran Matić, and Miroslav Janković with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia.

In the last eleven years, the municipality of Novi Bečej has allocated almost 50 million dinars of public funds for media projects (49,630,000 dinars from 2015 to 2025).

As of the beginning of 2026, a total of 52 new media outlets have been officially registered in Serbia, according to data from the Media Register of the Business Registers Agency (APR). Currently, the Media Register lists 2,312 public media outlets.