With the publication of the audio recording of the conversation between Sten Miller and Vladimir Lucic, the truth has finally come to light, announced the director of United Media.
"It has been unequivocally exposed to what extent the government in Serbia, led by Aleksandar Vučić, is ready to go in order not to silence and weaken the independent voices of N1 and Nova - media that today, in the time of repression and manipulation, are more important and necessary than ever," she stated in a statement. "This case goes beyond the local framework and must receive its epilogue at the highest instances that deal with the protection of media freedom, democratic standards, but also the protection of competition."
She fully stands, she added, behind her newsrooms and their demands, "because this is not just a fight for the profession - this is a fight for the fundamental right of citizens to receive true and complete information."
"The panicked discrediting campaign launched by the regime at the same moment the video was published only confirms the scale of the scandal and the inability to dispute the facts. I am personally the target of that campaign, but the ultimate goal is to shut down independent journalism in Serbia," she stated. "Instead of responding to their spin, I want to point out the facts: United Media is today the leading media company in Southeast Europe, with more than 4.200 employees in eight countries and one of the most reliable sources of information that citizens trust. I am proud of that and no one can dispute that."
She also said that she did not 'run away', as reported by the pro-government tabloids in Serbia.
"When you run an international company, constant travel is part of the job: last year and this year alone, I flew from Nikola Tesla airport more than 50 times, along with numerous official routes in the region," she said.
