On 28 May 2024, during a inspection of roadworks in Novi Sad, Serbia an allegedly incident occurred involving a reporter from N1 (https://n1info.rs/) and the media representative of the Novi Sad Mayor.
After the event where high level political representatives were present, the N1 reporter attempted to ask the Mayor of Novi Sad a question. However, she was allegedly prevented from doing so by the mayor’s PR representative. The representative allegedly was stating that questions could not be asked as it was “not according to protocol,” and directed the reporter to send her questions via email instead. You can see the link to the video of what happened here: https://n1info.rs/vesti/video-saradnica-gradonacelnika-novog-sada-sprecila-reporterku-n1-da-postavi-pitanje-unosila-joj-se-u-lice/
This is not the first time the mayor’s PR representative has been known to prevent journalists from asking questions. The N1 editorial team has reported that they have allegedly not been receiving invitations to events involving Mayor, especially during the past few elections.
The incident highlights ongoing issues with press freedom and access to information in Serbia, as journalists from N1 and other critical media outlets face barriers when attempting to engage with public officials. The intervention to stop a critical journalist from performing her duties is a serious concern that underscores the need for transparent and open communication between government officials and the media.
Such actions hinder the fundamental role of the press in holding public officials accountable and ensuring that the public is informed about governmental activities.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) will monitor the future activities connected to Novi Sad Mayor and we hope that he will in the future be more open for critical media. SEEMO calls on the relevant authorities to address this incident promptly and ensure that journalists can work without fear of intimidation or harassment.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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