Protesters entered the newsroom of Serbian broadcaster Informer TV on Monday evening, interrupting its coverage and demanding the arrest of its editor-in-chief, Dragan Vucicevic.The incident came as tens of thousands of people took to the streets for a second night to celebrate the election victory of the student-led Student List, which ended former President Aleksandar Vucic’s 14-year hold on power.Live footage from Informer TV showed around 30 protesters entering the newsroom and gathering around Vucicevic. Some shouted, “This is how it is in free Serbia” and “Where is Vucic now?” while others called for the editor’s arrest.Vucic, who previously served as information minister under former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, maintained a strong grip on the country’s media during his years in power.In a post on his personal Instagram account, Vucic condemned the incident as an attack on free speech and press freedom. He was pictured wearing a jumper bearing the crossed-out word “sorry”.
Student movement urges supporters to remain calm
The Student List emerged from a student-led anti-corruption movement and secured a historic election victory on Sunday, ending Vucic’s 14 years in power.However, the movement has no clearly established leader, leaving questions over who will become prime minister and take up other senior government positions.Cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, the leading candidate on the Student List’s election slate, appealed to supporters to remain peaceful while the electoral process continued.“We ask of you to stay calm and dignified until the end of the electoral process, just like you have been until now,” he said in a video posted on his Instagram account. “Don’t resort to any form of violence. Your Student List and your student movement urge you on this.”Meanwhile, the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia said it would submit an application on Tuesday seeking the withdrawal of Informer TV’s broadcasting licence. The association cited what it described as systematic violations of the law and the broadcaster’s programming obligations.Vucicevic accused the incoming political movement of seeking to silence media outlets critical of it.“On the very first day of (Student List) power, they want to ban the media. They have said everything about themselves, and nothing about us,” he told Reuters.Another group of protesters gathered outside Pink TV, a privately owned broadcaster supportive of Vucic, in Belgrade on Monday evening. Police cordoned off the building.
State broadcaster apologises
Separately, public broadcaster RTV in Serbia’s northern Vojvodina region began its evening news bulletin with an apology to viewers, acknowledging that it had failed to fulfil its role through uncritical and one-sided reporting.The move echoed an incident in Hungary in July, when the country’s main state television channel displayed a black screen carrying the message, “Public media cannot lie. We apologise for doing so for many years.” This followed the election defeat of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party three months earlier.Serbia has faced sustained criticism over media freedom and the uneven treatment of political opponents on television.The country ranked 104th among 180 nations in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index, its lowest position to date and the worst in the EU-Balkan region.Election monitoring organisation Crta reported last week that television channels with nationwide reach devoted three-quarters of the airtime allocated to politicians to government representatives.Crta also found that the Student List was portrayed negatively in more than 80% of the instances in which it was discussed.The protests and the calls for changes to broadcasting practices have placed Serbia’s media landscape under fresh scrutiny following the election result. The response of the incoming political leadership, including how it handles broadcasters supportive of the former government, is likely to be closely watched as the country moves towards forming a new administration.
