BELGRADE – In a statement released on Thursday, United Group, the owner of the government-critical N1 and Nova S television, announced that it would not run political advertisement during the campaign. The decision was made, the statement reads, “as a protest of the United Media due to the threats against its journalists and editors by the ruling coalition officials and pro-regime media”.
“The media operated by United Media do not wish to broadcast election campaign advertisements of the ruling options’ representatives in Serbia. In order to avoid potential accusations of discrimination in the election campaign program, we will not be broadcasting political advertisements of any of the political options”, the statement reads.
N1 and Nova S are cable television channels which are not available to all households in Serbia. They are the only two major television channels regularly featuring content critical of the government and the ruling party.
In its report on the 2022 elections, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) noted that, according to the majority of its interlocutors, the lack of diversity of perspectives in the media stems from the limited outreach of the media not aligned with the ruling party.
The majority of pro-government tabloid newspapers attacked Dragan Šolak the owner of the United Group, for the decision.
“Šolak, like Goebbels, bans the ‘unsuitable’ from his media”, published Informer on the front page of its Friday’s issue, while Srpski telegraf wrote that “Šolak prevents Vučić from showing the people the roads, hospitals and schools that were constructed”, hinting to the content of the adds SNS was planning to run.
N1 headquarters in Belgrade
Photo: N1
