SĆF: 171 verbal attack on journalists by officials in February 2026.

At least 17 officials participated in the discrediting and labeling of journalists and media in February, with the most active being:

Member of Parliament of the SNS Nebojša Bakarec (71)

Member of Parliament of the SNS Milenko Jovanov (32)

President of the National Assembly Ana Brnabić (21)

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić (9)

President of the SNS and advisor to the President of Serbia Miloš Vučević (9)

Additional participants in the attacks included: Minister of Information and Telecommunications Boris Bratina, Minister of Culture Nikola Selaković, Minister for European Integration Nemanja Starović, Minister of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarović, Member of Parliament of the SNS and Chairman of the Justice Committee Uglješa Mrdić, Members of Parliament of the SNS Biljana Pantić Pilja, Vladimir Đukanović, and Milan Radin, Member of Parliament of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians Elvira Kovač, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Milan Antonijević, and member of the SNS Main Board Siniša Vučinić.

As in previous months, during February the most frequent targets of attacks were the television stations N1 and Nova S, somewhat less often the daily newspaper Danas, and for the first time, the media outlet Istinomer was attacked due to the article "Vučić's Ensemble." The attacked media were traditionally labeled as anti-Serbian, Ustaša, obstructionist, and associated with the criminal Šolak, as well as being referred to as toxic media, while journalists from these outlets were called "fake journalists of Šolak's media," "cynics from the tycoon media," "idiots on N1 and Nova S," "lobbyists from N1 and Nova S," "socio-political workers pretending to be journalists," "so-called journalists," and similar.

February was marked by serious targeting of critical journalists by the Center for Social Stability, an organization closely linked to the ruling party, known for its attacks on government critics. After demonizing journalist and chairman of the ANEM Management Board Veran Matić in the context of a so-called documentary series in January, this organization announced a continuation of the series targeting journalists and government critics in the form of a list with 45 names. This list includes 40 media workers, of which 37 are independent journalists. None of the politicians in power condemned this content, and some even promoted it on their social media accounts. The relevant minister Bratina stated that he believes this is a matter of investigative journalism and that he does not see significant potential for jeopardizing the safety of the journalists on the list.

In the majority of cases recorded in February, there were direct attacks in which public officials discredited the media and journalists, belittling their professionalism, independence, and professional integrity. Every tenth attack involved labeling journalists and media as traitors and mercenaries, while every fifth involved their dehumanization.

Moreover, more than a fifth of the attacks involved accusing journalists and media of inspiring, preparing, or supporting criminal acts. This trend intensified particularly towards the end of the month when two men were arrested on suspicion of preparing the assassination of the President of Serbia and members of his family, which was allegedly a consequence of his dehumanization in the media.

The majority of motives for attacks on critical media in February were related to the corporate restructuring of the United Group, which operates the television stations N1 and Nova S. There is a justified public concern that there will be a change in the editorial policy of these media and the shutdown of the only media platform visible in most of the country where critical voices can be heard, but the authorities used the news of the establishment of a new editorial board for further discrediting of these media.

The discrediting primarily took the form of gloating (e.g., "Žaklina is in a coma. Draža is ecstatic. A shoe on the toilet. A Bulgarian snorted white powder. The system is collapsing" – Nebojša Bakarec), but also insinuations regarding the financial operations of these media and reducing the issue of public information in the interest of the public to the question of the freedom of private ownership.

For example, the president of the SNS and advisor to the President of Serbia Miloš Vučević stated: "They attack Vučić because Šolak took an unreal amount for his share that he sold," while the President of the National Assembly Ana Brnabić commented on this news with the following words: "Gods. They are not sold, Šolak and his team took and divided 1.5 billion euros, the owner is the same, Brent Sadler is the godfather, and for all this, @avucic is to blame!? Those who understand will understand. Bottom line – for them, it is only and always important that Vučić is guilty. For what and how – who cares."

Source: Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation