As part of the program Regional Initiative for combating disinformation “Western Balkans Combatting disinformation Center: Exposing malicious influences through fact-checking and Analytical Journalism“, we present you a new analysis of fake news and disinformation narratives.
The Association of Journalists of Serbia is founded: It’s time to take our profession’s fate into our own hands
https://informer.rs/drustvo/vesti/1025855/novinari-asocijacija-profesija
At a time when professional integrity and media freedom in Serbia are increasingly being questioned, the initiative to establish the Association of Journalists of Serbia (ANS)—launched by a group of journalists, mostly from pro-government media—represents a significant shift in the media landscape. According to a statement on the Informer portal, this initiative aims to “take the fate of our profession into our own hands” and create a professional association that genuinely represents the interests of all journalists, without exceptions or divisions.
The founders of ANS send a clear message: existing journalist associations, such as UNS and NUNS, no longer fulfill their role—they often remain silent in the face of pressure, blockades, and the spread of disinformation. Therefore, this movement calls for solidarity, uncompromising defence of standards, and active opposition to any form of pressure that threatens the independence and ethics of the journalistic profession.
The initiative focuses on key principles: protecting journalists’ rights, condemning violence and attacks on the profession, and clearly separating journalistic work from economic and political influences. The authors of the appeal emphasize that media are not and must not become “tools in the hands of corporations or interest groups,” but must serve the public and the truth, thereby making a strong case for redefining the social role of the media.
The call for unity comes at a moment when the ownership structure of the media is changing—passing into the hands of large corporations—which often leads to a narrowing of space for free, objective reporting. In this context, ANS positions itself as “the last bastion defending journalistic freedom and integrity,” aspiring to become an independent voice and guardian of professional standards.
Although ANS publicly presents itself as an initiative for professional renewal and strengthening of journalistic standards, the manner in which the association was launched, along with the rhetoric present at the founding assembly, reveal a more complex political background and indicate that behind the declarative call for professionalism lie deep ideological divides. Participants in the assembly, mostly from media close to the authorities, took the opportunity to sharply criticize existing associations—UNS and NUNS—calling them “parapolitical” and “hijacked organizations,” while labeling independent media as “foreign-funded” and “anti-Serbian.”
A particular contradiction lies in the fact that ANS’s manifesto explicitly refers to the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics, authored precisely by UNS and NUNS—the very associations ANS disparages in its public stance. ANS representatives, such as Dragan J. Vučićević, owner of Informer, claim that until now “there has been no true journalists’ association in Serbia,” and that current ANS members have been systematically excluded from existing organizations. Their vision of “new professionalism” seemingly entails a clear alignment with the authorities and rejection of critical media as illegitimate.
Reactions from representatives of independent associations suggest that the formation of ANS is an attempt to relativize professional standards, create parallel institutions, and further polarize the media scene. Thus, ANS does not act as an initiative to improve journalism but rather as a tool to further consolidate the influence of the authorities in the media space.
This dynamic does not occur in a vacuum. The establishment of ANS comes at a time of social instability and serious political tensions in Serbia. The rhetoric of the highest state officials toward the student-citizen protests has hardened, and pressure on independent media and civil society has intensified. In such a context, independent media remain a rare point of professional resistance, while ANS members mostly represent media known for spreading disinformation and participating in campaigns of discreditation. Their role in shaping public discourse increasingly aligns with predetermined narratives about state destabilization and attempts at violent regime change, further compromising their claims of “professional” journalism.
Author: Nataša Stanojević
