RTS journalist Tamara Tankosić is under attack after raising the issue of Vučić's pardons.

The impetus for this campaign was the initiation of a discussion regarding individuals who were pardoned by former President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, prior to his resignation. After journalist Tamara Tankosić raised this topic on the RTS program, former Speaker of the National Assembly and Acting President of the State, Ana Brnabić, mentioned the journalist in a negative context during her appearance on Pink television. This was followed by numerous posts on social media, clearly aimed at questioning her professional integrity and discrediting her journalistic work.

On the social media platform X, Milenko Jovanov, a recently former public official, first published a post, after which a series of posts from other, publicly unknown profiles followed, continuing the campaign to tarnish the journalist's reputation and further undermine her professional standing.

Additionally, on the same day, a post with similar content was published on the Instagram page "Naša Čukarica," and the targeting and discrediting of the journalist continued the following day. This page has previously published content directed against journalists and other media professionals. Among those targeted by its posts are journalists, professors, and media experts, such as Slobodan Georgiev, Željko Bodrožić, Dinko Gruhonjić, Sanja Kljajić, and others.

We find it particularly concerning that such campaigns are taking place in an atmosphere where certain recent public officials, including those still serving technical mandates in government institutions, contribute through their public statements to creating an environment in which journalists are exposed to discreditation, pressure, and targeting due to the issues they address and the questions they raise.

We remind you that Tankosić is a journalist who has advocated for professional, truthful, and objective reporting at RTS for many years. Due to her insistence on these principles and her efforts to ensure that RTS serves as a space for timely, responsible, and critical information for citizens, she has faced various pressures and professional challenges. Her right to raise questions of public interest cannot and must not be a reason for public vilification, labeling, and attempts at discreditation.

Journalists are not and must not be targets due to their work. Public commentary on journalistic work is legitimate, but public targeting, personal discreditation, and organized dissemination of content aimed at undermining professional reputation are unacceptable forms of public communication.

We call on holders of technical mandates in the government to refrain from statements and actions that expose journalists to additional pressures and risks, and to contribute through their public actions to creating a safe environment for media professionals. It is particularly concerning that this is a continuation of a troubling practice that has been present for a long time, especially pronounced in the last two years.

The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) fully supports colleague Tankosić and emphasizes that media freedom entails the right of journalists to ask questions, investigate, and report without fear of public campaigns of discreditation and pressure. Protecting this right is not only a matter of the position and safety of journalists but also of protecting citizens' rights to be informed truthfully, timely, and objectively.

Source: Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia