October 15, 2017
The initiative of a group of journalists’ and media associations, NGOs, media outlets, individual journalists and activists against “media darkness”, coupled with the signing of the Declaration for the Freedom of the Media, has drawn global attention. In addition to reports published in media such as the New York Times and Washington Post, America’s Freedom House claims that the increasingly authoritarian Government of Serbia has constantly stifled media freedom during the last four years.
While the country leadership insists that the situation in the media is not alarming and that the media are free, Freedom House states that, since becoming Prime Minister in 2014, Aleksandar Vučić has tried to clear the market of critical media and discredit the few journalists who still have some money and opportunities to work.
Recalling some scandals brought to light specifically by investigative journalists, Freedom House adds that these are exceptional results, especially given that “Vučić’s government has been harassing independent media for a long time,” which according to FH reflected on Serbia’s deteriorating results in terms of the Press Freedom Index.
