Serbian Students Protest Media Bias, Demand Accountability \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Thousands of Serbian students rallied against Informer TV, accusing it of spreading propaganda against anti-corruption protests. Demonstrations erupted after a fatal infrastructure collapse, igniting calls for government accountability. President Aleksandar Vucic and pro-government media have escalated tensions, branding protesters as extremists.
Serbian Media Protests Quick Looks:
- Thousands protested outside Informer TV over biased coverage
- Students accuse media of smearing anti-corruption movement
- Protests began after deadly train station collapse in November
- President Vucic labels student organizers as anarchists
- Informer accused of propaganda, disinformation, and incitement
- Student “DisInformer” protest included symbolic performances
- Petition launched to limit Informer’s broadcast access
- Government officials back Informer, calling protest a “hostage crisis”
Deep Look
The tension between Serbia’s embattled student protest movement and the country’s pro-government media reached a boiling point on Saturday, as thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets outside the headquarters of Informer TV in Belgrade. The protest, titled “DisInformer,” was a direct response to what students say has been a months-long campaign of slander, disinformation, and character attacks targeting their anti-corruption movement.
The student-led protests began in late November after the deadly collapse of a concrete canopy at a train station in northern Serbia that killed 16 people. The tragedy quickly became a flashpoint, exposing long-standing grievances about government mismanagement, lack of oversight, and systemic corruption. What started as a spontaneous call for accountability has since evolved into a broad anti-government movement, with students emerging as its most prominent and persistent force.
For nearly five months, students and citizens have taken to the streets daily, demanding transparency, reforms, and the resignation of key officials. Yet instead of responding with dialogue or reform, President Aleksandar Vucic and his right-wing administration have doubled down. State-aligned media outlets, particularly Informer TV and its affiliated tabloid newspaper, have led an aggressive campaign labeling protest organizers as “extremists,” “foreign agents,” and “anarchists.” These allegations have been broadcast to millions of viewers and readers across Serbia—despite the absence of any evidence.
Saturday’s protest outside Informer’s headquarters was not just a march—it was a statement. Students arrived in white protective suits, staging a symbolic “decontamination” to signify the purification of truth from what they describe as media pollution. A “wall of shame” was erected, displaying inflammatory and sensationalist headlines from Informer over the past few months, including one accusing students of orchestrating a “bloody coup.” These theatrics served to expose the manipulation of public perception by the media, which protestors argue has been weaponized against them.
Student spokespersons said the demonstration was more than a protest—it was a direct confrontation with disinformation. “This is a media war between Informer and students, between lies and truth, abuse of power and resistance,” their collective statement read. “They (Informer) do not inform, they persecute.”
In addition to the demonstration, students launched a formal petition to limit Informer TV’s access to public broadcasting frequencies. The petition argues that the outlet has failed to meet basic journalistic standards and has become a propaganda tool rather than a source of public information. Support for the petition has grown rapidly, adding a legal and institutional dimension to what was once a purely grassroots movement.
The government, however, responded swiftly and predictably. President Vucic, whose grip on power has grown increasingly authoritarian, paid a publicized visit to a camp of his loyal supporters outside the presidential palace. Among them were students from pro-government groups, organized as a counterweight to the protest movement. There, Vucic doubled down on his rhetoric, vowing a “counterrevolution” and threatening accountability for university leaders who support the protests. The dean of Belgrade University, Vladan Djokic, has been singled out for possible legal action—a move critics say is part of a broader intimidation campaign.
Informer’s reaction to the protest was equally defiant. The outlet, which remains one of Serbia’s most widely viewed and read, described the demonstration as a “hostage crisis,” a framing dismissed as absurd by protest leaders and independent media analysts. The outlet received vocal support from government officials, including Serbia’s defense minister, reinforcing the administration’s alignment with state-affiliated media.
This latest clash underscores the deepening erosion of press freedom and democratic norms in Serbia. Media watchdogs have long warned about the shrinking space for independent journalism in the country. Reporters critical of the government face harassment, lawsuits, and in some cases, physical threats. Independent outlets struggle for visibility amid the dominance of government-friendly broadcasters, many of which receive state advertising revenue or favorable licensing terms.
President Vucic, a former nationalist hardliner and ally of Slobodan Milosevic, has rebranded himself in recent years as a pro-European reformer. However, his close ties with Russia and China, combined with authoritarian tactics at home, paint a more complex picture. While formally pursuing European Union membership, Serbia under Vucic has been drifting away from democratic norms, according to both domestic critics and international observers.
Despite this, the protest movement has struck a chord with a large segment of the Serbian population. Many citizens, especially younger generations, feel disenfranchised by decades of political stagnation, economic hardship, and widespread cronyism. The student protests have managed to mobilize hundreds of thousands across the country, creating what may be the most sustained civic uprising Serbia has seen in recent years.
The Informer TV protest was just the latest in a series of creative and nonviolent actions by the student movement, which has embraced symbolism, performance art, and grassroots organizing to challenge the government’s narrative. Whether these tactics will lead to meaningful political change remains uncertain, but what is clear is that a new generation of Serbians is demanding accountability—and they’re not backing down.
As Serbia approaches its next round of elections and continues its EU accession negotiations, how the government responds to these calls for transparency and press freedom will be closely watched not only by Serbians but by the international community.
Serbian Students Protest Serbian Students Protest
You must Register or Login to post a comment.