EFJ: The coordinated smear campaign conducted by the Center for Social Stability requires an urgent response from the authorities.

On March 18, 2026, the Center for Social Stability [**encouraged**](https://x.com/centarzds/status/2034177704526774742?s=20) hostility towards the President of ANEM, Veran Matić, on its social media channels, through a [**statement**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2Z3G0D3x4E) that dangerously echoed the remarks of former Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić from 2003, prior to the assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić.

Several weeks before the attack, Veran Matić and other media figures were [**portrayed**](https://www.mapmf.org/alert/34665) as "state enemies" in the documentary series "Evil Era 2 Creates Propaganda." The documentary, which consists of selective framing and fabricated narratives aimed at discrediting independent journalism, aired on national and cable television on January 29, and was re-aired by the pro-government media Informer in early February. Footage in the documentary showing Matić at the memorial for slain journalist Slavko Ćuruvija heightened particular concerns for his safety.

While [**multiplying**](https://www.mapmf.org/alert/34668) dangerous rhetoric against Veran Matić, the organization recently [**published**](https://www.mapmf.org/alert/34669) a list of 45 future targets in upcoming episodes. More than half of those named are independent journalists, many associated with United Media Group, who have previously been targets of political pressure and threats that remain unpunished to this day.

Representatives of organizations tirelessly defending attacked journalists are also under threat, including Željko Bodrožić, President of the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), a member of the EFJ, and Ana Lalić Hegediš, President of the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV).

This defamation campaign is part of a deeply rooted trend of intimidation and silencing of those working to defend press freedom and professional journalistic standards. Although the Center for Social Stability has been named as the producer, the identity of the campaign's authors, narrators, and sources of images and videos remains unknown.

"Broadcasting such defamatory and manipulative content on television during prime time, coupled with the lack of response from authorities, reflects a climate of impunity regarding attacks on journalists. Those in power, including Vučić and his party, who publicly discredit journalists and other representatives, bear responsibility for this public harassment. We are also disturbed by the prolonged absence of a functional Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM), which has allowed the spread of harmful and potentially dangerous content over the past two years," said Renate Schrader, Director of the EFJ.

The EFJ, along with its partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and the Council of Europe Platform for the Protection of Journalists, will [**undertake**](https://www.mfrr.eu/serbia-media-freedom-mission-to-probe-longstanding-challenges-and-advocate-for-reform/) a two-day mission in Belgrade on March 26 and 27. This mission is a continuation of a previous solidarity visit, which concluded that the situation was already critical for the safety of some Serbian journalists. Since then, despite our repeated calls and [**recommendations**](https://europeanjournalists.org/blog/2025/05/02/serbia-media-freedom-in-a-state-of-emergency/), the situation has alarmingly deteriorated.

*This statement was issued by the EFJ as part of the [**Media Freedom Rapid Response**](https://www.mfrr.eu/serbia-media-freedom-mission-to-probe-longstanding-challenges-and-advocate-for-reform/) (MFRR), a European mechanism that monitors, oversees, and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU member states and candidate countries.*