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Serbia’s Parliament speaker Ana Brnabic used a personal panel event in Brussels to once again spread false information about journalists from United Media - N1 and Nova.
For the last 30 minutes of the discussion, Brnabic fielded questions from United Media journalists. N1’s reporter in Brussels said a few United Media journalists managed to ask questions.
“We didn’t hear anything new,” said N1 Serbia reporter Dusan Mladjenovic. “The organizers clearly expected us to be here, which is probably why they framed it as a ‘discussion.’ Until our questions, there was no real discussion—just Ana Brnabic giving her presentation.”
Mladjenovic noted that Brnabic tried to strike a conciliatory tone, claiming the government was open to dialogue but that protesters were the ones refusing to engage. She also spoke about relations with the opposition, saying they hadn’t said a single positive word about the government, failed to support European laws, and were unwilling to participate in dialogue.
Brnabic was scheduled to speak at a policy briefing in Brussels on Friday titled “Serbia: A strategic candidate country at a critical juncture,” but the event was canceled for unspecified reasons.
Sources suggest the organizer faced criticism for featuring only a government representative to discuss Serbia’s current situation, which could have provided additional space for propaganda from the authorities in Belgrade.
Unhappy with the cancellation, Brnabic decided to hold her own personal panel at the offices of Serbia’s Mission to the EU.
Addressing N1 and Nova, Brnabic, according to our reporter, described them as media outlets that publish inaccurate and unverified information. Among other things, she claimed N1 reported on air that a 16-year-old had died during a protest.
“When we pointed out that wasn’t true, the head of Serbia’s delegation to the EU Mission pulled out his phone and played a recording from the protest where someone says a 16-year-old was injured and seriously hurt. N1 never reported that anyone died after the Valjevo protests,” Mladjenovic clarified.
On the Miller-Lucic conversation
When asked about N1’s operations and government deals with BC Partners to fire United Media CEO Aleksandra Subotic, Brnabic emphasized that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had no interest whatsoever in targeting or firing anyone at United Media or any other company.
She said it is important for those outside Serbia to understand that, for those who watch N1, “Vucic is to blame for everything.”
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed that United Group’s new CEO, Stan Miller, discussed the dismissal of Aleksandra Subotic, United Media long-time CEO (under which N1 operates), with Vladimir Lucic, head of Serbia’s state-owned Telekom. According to OCCRP journalists' findings, Lucic told Miller that President Vucic personally requested Subotic’s removal.
“Why would he care about Subotic? Who is she? What is her role? Is she the editor of your news or programming? How is she relevant to the President of Serbia?” Brnabic asked.
We don’t know, but raising this question seems like a way to spread false narratives about the lack of media freedom in Serbia, Brnabic added. She reiterated that, according to N1, Vucic is responsible for everything—from the dismissal of Biosens’s director to the police chief and army commander.
If you watch N1, Vucic is to blame for everything. Even if you get divorced, he is probably at fault, Brnabic said in Brussels.
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