The Political Environment of the Media Market in Serbia 2024

Over the last decade, the relationship between politics and the media has become increasingly intertwined, marked by deepening control, mounting pressure on media outlets, and the use of media as a tool against political opponents – and, most damagingly, against anyone outside politics who dares to criticize the regime. This trend has fostered a culture of cancellation and widespread journalistic self-censorship.

This paradigm became starkly evident after the onset of a severe political and social crisis, triggered by the collapse of the canopy at the central railway station in Novi Sad on November 1, which killed 16 people.

The Press Council introduced a Code of Ethics in 2015, which was updated and revised in 2024. One of its key principles is to avoid causing harm to individuals. However, in practice, the opposite is often true for those whose narratives diverge from the regime's official line.

State-owned companies, along with other state-related institutions and organizations, account for approximately 5% of total advertising expenditure in the media market – funding that serves as just one of many tools in the government's propaganda arsenal.