Groups of citizens stormed the studio of the pro-government TV "Informer" in Serbia and confronted editor-in-chief Dragan Vučićević. The incident came after the student movement's victory in early parliamentary elections that ended the rule of the party associated with Aleksandar Vučić.
TV "Informer" had been campaigning against student protesters, portraying them as enemies of the state and traitors. Police guarded another pro-government TV station, "Pink", after the attack. Vučić condemned the incident as "violence" and warned that his supporters could “self-organize“. Serbian journalist organizations asked the media regulator to revoke the license of “Informer“.
Public television asks for forgiveness
Amid the tension, the regional public television of Vojvodina – RTV, began its broadcast with an apology to viewers for years of one-sided and uncritical coverage. Host Goran Eror said: “We were silent, we ignored many things, we presented information one-sidedly and we did not ask the right questions. For that we owe an apology to the viewers.“
The apology was followed by changes in management. The acting editor-in-chief of RTV's first channel, Nenad Čačić, resigned, and Blažo Popović was appointed to the post. Previously, public media officials had urged journalists and editors to work freely and in accordance with professional standards.
Student movement promises institutional change
According to preliminary results, the Student List will have 140 seats in the 250-seat parliament, and the Serbian Progressive Party - 104. The final announcement of the results may be delayed due to appeal procedures and re-voting in individual sections. A new government could be formed by the end of the year.
The student movement said it was against attacks on the media and wanted to “liberate the media in parliament through an institutional struggle for freedom and professional journalism“. It arose after the collapse of a canopy at a railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people. The protests have grown into a sustained campaign against corruption, political pressure, and lack of accountability.
Sources: aljazeera.com, apnews.com, hromadske.ua