The broadcasters marching in lockstep – Serbia's media caught between government and Russia
Authoritarian control over almost the entire media market
Serbia's media landscape is in a state of near-total control – a development unparalleled in Europe. According to experts, President Aleksandar Vučić and his inner circle control roughly 90 to 95 percent of the media market. Editors-in-chief sometimes receive daily instructions from government circles, even outside of election campaigns. Some are directly involved in Vučić's campaign team. This massively undermines the independence of journalism, leaving the opposition with virtually no space for public expression – despite years of calls from the European Union for media pluralism.
Public broadcasting as a government instrument
The public broadcaster (RTS) has been completely transformed into a state-run, government-aligned broadcaster. Its management was brought into line with the government's position early on. Together with RTV, the broadcaster of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, the system reaches approximately 20% of the population. RTV broadcasts in ten languages, but even there, the government's influence remains clearly evident. The latest nationwide frequency allocation confirms this picture: all stations with national reach are considered loyal to the regime.
Moscow's influence: Sputnik as a domestic medium
Particularly alarming is the Russian influence on Serbian media. The Russian state-owned company Sputnik operates a large newsroom in Belgrade and offers its content in Serbian free of charge. This content is picked up by local media outlets hundreds of times a day – without any indication of its origin. The population does not perceive Sputnik reports as foreign news, but rather as part of their own media landscape. The content follows a clearly pro-Russian narrative and caters to anti-Western sentiments. Sputnik even addresses purely domestic political issues to suggest solidarity between Russia and Serbia: "We, the Serbian citizens and Sputnik, against the rest of the world."
Distortion of Western sources and flood of disinformation
International media outlets like the BBC or Deutsche Welle, which broadcast in Serbian, reach only a small, critical audience. Their reports, if they are picked up at all, are selectively and distorted – for example, portraying Serbia as a "happy paradise" while Western countries descend into chaos. The tabloid press reinforces this image with headlines like "The West wants to assassinate Vučić" or "NATO plans invasion with tens of thousands of soldiers." These narratives are repeated so frequently that a segment of the population takes them at face value. One journalist describes this media reality as a "reality show" whose veracity has become irrelevant.
Uninformed provinces and dangerous naivety
Especially in rural areas, the population is often "completely uninformed." Naivety is widespread; what is written in the newspaper is often taken as established truth – in the belief that the government would suppress problematic content anyway. This creates a disturbing gap between actual reality and the media-conveyed "virtual reality."
Youth between longing for a leader and emigration
A representative survey of young people reveals the full extent of the ambivalence: Almost 60% believe Serbia needs a "strong leader," while at the same time around 50% want to emigrate – the majority of them to Europe. Only 6% prefer Russia. Despite the dominant pro-Russian discourse, the lives of young people are largely oriented towards Western standards. This paradoxical stance points to the gap between political rhetoric and personal visions of the future.
Lack of response from the EU
Control of the media sector forms the foundation of Vučić's authoritarian system. The president is glorified, the opposition demonized. Reforms are promised – but always "after the resolution of national problems." The EU has so far reacted cautiously and does not seem to fully grasp the extent of the disinformation in the Balkans.