News

We spoke with Bojan Elek, the project manager for the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network (KRIK). On May 21, 2025, this Serbian investigative media outlet received the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI) certification, the second in the country after Istinomer. We asked Elek three questions about the significance of the JTI certification for KRIK.

After fourteen years of operation in the Balkans, the regional television project Al Jazeera Balkans is shutting down.

In the police and military, there is no “option number two.” There is only one order. Everyone is trained to execute it until another one arrives - and that’s it. There is no choice. Not even in thought.

Serbia ranks fourth in Europe in terms of attacks on journalists, following Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey, according to a report on media pluralism in Serbia conducted by the European University Institute.

Despite the law from 2023, which improved the provisions on the transparency of such competitions by stipulating mandatory criteria for compliance with the Journalists' Code, and whose implementation is monitored by the Press Council, the competitions published during 2024 have significantly reduced public financing in certain municipalities, according to the European Commission's annual report on the state of the rule of law in Serbia.

The safety of journalists is becoming an increasing cause for concern. Cases of threats, intimidation, hate speech, and physical violence against journalists have been reported. Local journalists are particularly vulnerable to such attacks, states the European Commission in its annual report on the state of the rule of law in Serbia.

The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) has submitted comments to the Committee for Culture and Information regarding the Draft Report for the seven authorized proposers of members of the REM Council, in which it stated that six of the proposed candidates do not meet the requirements for election as members of the REM Council.

The independence of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) is a cause for serious concern, and the delays and deficiencies in the process of selecting a new REM Council undermine public trust in that process, the European Commission stated in its annual report on the rule of law in Serbia. The report, published today, indicates that Serbia has "continued constitutional reforms to strengthen the independence of the judiciary," but that political pressure on judges and prosecutors remains high. In the area of fighting corruption, the EC points to a lack of investigations, final judgments, and asset seizures in cases of high-level corruption. Regarding media laws, the Commission's report notes that Serbia adopted new media laws in June, continuing its alignment with the EU, but assesses that this was done in a non-transparent manner, without public debate.