Unions do not accept that journalism should be anyone's prey; the regulator has not approved the takeover of media by UG.

The following individuals have been dismissed: Mihailo Jovićević, the director of the Nova portal and newspaper, as well as the weekly Radar; Aleksandra Mitić, the director of Dan graf, the publisher of Danas; and Brent Sadler from his position as director of Adria News, specifically N1.

Sadler was also dismissed from the position of director of Adria News Nova S, to which he was recently appointed. In the same package, Janez Živko was dismissed, who was also the director of Nova S television.

N1: We continue to operate according to the same professional standards

In response to the news reported by Cenzolovka on Friday regarding the takeover of the Adria News Network (ANN), N1 stated that the change of ownership will not affect the editorial policy of the television station, nor the manner in which our editorial team makes editorial decisions. 

The N1 editorial team reiterates that it continues to operate according to the same professional principles and standards as before. The editorial team retains full responsibility for the selection of topics, reporting methods, and editorial decisions in the public interest.

Unions reject that journalism should be anyone's spoil

The union of the Nova portal and newspaper, as well as the weekly Radar, along with the N1 and Forbes unions, condemned today the manner in which the Portuguese company "Alpac Capital" is taking over these and other media in Serbia that operate within the "Adria News Networks" group, which remains part of the "United Group".

As the unions stated in a joint press release, today the owner of that Portuguese company, Pedro Vargas Santos David, was registered at his request in the Business Registers Agency (APR) as the director of all media in the group - N1, TV Nova, Nova.rs, Radar, and Danas.

"This was done in the midst of summer vacations, without any notification to the employees, which has caused even greater concern. It is particularly worrying that Pedro Vargas was registered as the new director, while the company United Fiber Sarl, which operates or has operated within the United Group, is still listed as the owner," the statement reads.

According to the unions' assessment, it can be concluded that the Portuguese company is in a hurry to take over N1, Nova, Danas, and Radar as soon as possible, without having received all the necessary permits and approvals from the relevant institutions. With the support of "BC Partners," co-owners of the "United Group," they have begun dismissing key personnel in the editorial office.

"The journalists of our media doubt that this will stop here and that the dismissals of editors will continue, with the intent to align the remaining independent and professional media with the wishes of the current regime," the statement continues.

The editorial stance is, as they added, clear - changes in leadership positions and ownership structure will not affect the editorial policy, their professional approach to journalistic work, and integrity - as long as the editorial teams operate in their current composition.

"The fact is that no move made by the management of Adria News Network to date inspires confidence that these are good intentions. Therefore, we are sending a message to the new owner and management that media are not just a business; they primarily serve the public and the public interest, and only then the ownership structures. And it is the public that will judge," they added.

They claim that for the sake of that public, they have fought all these years to operate independently and professionally, in accordance with the highest principles of the profession.

"We have resisted all pressures, attacks, verbal and physical, and we will continue to resist. Therefore, we demand from the new director an urgent meeting with representatives of the representative unions and written guarantees that the editorial policy and positions of editors and journalists will not be interfered with," the joint statement of the unions of these media reads.

Raskrikavanje: Regulator has not yet approved the media takeover by UG

Pedro Vargas David, the owner of the Portuguese fund Alpac, yesterday assumed directorial functions in the companies through which N1, Nova S, Nova.rs, Radar, and Danas operate. However, the Luxembourg regulatory body has not yet approved the transaction by which Alpac Capital is set to take over the media business of United Group, as confirmed to Raskrikavanje by that institution.

The independent Luxembourg authority for audiovisual media (Autorité luxembourgeoise indépendante de l’audiovisuel, ALIA) confirmed to Raskrikavanje that the approval process for the change of control over the Adria News Network, or the media group that Alpac Capital intends to take over from United Group, is still ongoing.

The approval for the change of control is under the jurisdiction of the relevant ministry of Luxembourg, which has requested an opinion from ALIA regarding this transaction.

"We are still in the process of preparing that opinion. We can confirm that as of today, the transaction has not been approved," ALIA stated to Raskrikavanje.

Sources: N1, Raskrikavanje