That the regime media slanders, insults, persecutes and attacks student, the opposition and rebellious citizens is nothing new. However, after the death of a student at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, it seems that the entire front of the regime's media has crossed all boundaries of moral and professional standards.
MINISTRY OF TRUTH
The pre-election silence and the morning on the Informer website began with the headline "The blockers started cursing, continued setting fire, shot a man, and finally killed a girl." After this, all regime media, in an orchestrated manner, began to report on this case.
On the website of the daily newspaper "Večernje Novosti" the text "Evil does not stand still" appeared, in which it is written: "After all, according to tradition, didn't St. George call the dragon to dialogue and respect moral principles or did he pierce it with a spear?". The informant then declared the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Daniel Sinani, a "sectarian fanatic" because he participated in a scientific conference on magic and the supernatural, and because he was an expert consultant during the production of the series. Black wedding. An emergency session of the Committee for Education, Science and Technological Development was convened, chaired by the President of the Assembly, Ana Brnabić, and broadcast live by Informer television. At that meeting, Mirjana Nikolić, rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade and professor of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, pointed out that neither the government nor the media were concerned with the safety of students when the student of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts fell from the sixth floor of the student dormitory "Studentski grad" and then died.
"The reporting on the death of a student at the Faculty of Philosophy was full of insinuations and the overall narrative made it possible to put pressure on the voters during the pre-election silence," Rector Nikolić told "Vreme" and added that the faculties are treated as spaces for political activity, and the students are spoken of in a negative light.
Professor of the Faculty of Political Sciences Ana Milojević points out that instrumentalization can be recognized in selective reporting, but we can only speculate about the motives.
While the professional media reported on this case in accordance with the Code of Journalists of Serbia, the website Novosti publishes an article that calls such media "waiting for corpses". "We cannot only talk about two types of media and two ways of reporting. Commercial media controlled by the government, which cultivate a black-and-white narrative, create the impression among the audience that blockades of faculties are still ongoing, while the so-called blockaders are blamed for everything bad in society - from social and economic to traffic problems," says Rector Nikolić and adds that such reporting emphasizes narratives about "dangerous others who always threaten and destabilize and against whom one must fight".
The ubiquity of such narratives is also shown by the fact that when searching the website of the "Večernje Novosti" newspaper for the keyword "blockaders", about 1.150.000 results are obtained, which are, as a rule, defamation of the student movement, while the keyword "Vučić" gives about 1.340.000 results - media content that praises or supports President Aleksandar Vučić. However, Rector Nikolić believes, the public service, RTS, gives a third picture of reality - incomplete, with a tendentious selection of information and interlocutors, and with neglect of key issues related to the event. "Self-censorship is also reflected in attempts to completely divert attention from current and pressing issues to general places such as the success of beekeepers, fairs of folk traditions and local problems," Professor Nikolić concludes.
MINISTRY OF LOVE
"I hear that the blockaders are now singing: Whoever doesn't jump from the fifth floor is a kid," announced Predrag Azdejković, a member of the Board of Directors of Radio Television of Serbia, on the X network. After that, "Naš pRoTeSt" and part of RTS employees requested his immediate dismissal, reminding that he had already posted inappropriate posts. Mirjana Nikolić reminds that Azdejković declared back in 2012 that he "hates God and that all churches should be demolished", and then for the woman who was killed by her husband, together with her child, he declared that she "made her own choice". Bearing in mind that at that time Predrag Azdejković was a member of the Complaints Commission of the Press Council as a representative of civil society (2012 to 2015), and that he was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Journalists (2019–2021), it is not unexpected to think that he knows the purpose and details of the Code of Journalists of Serbia well. In 2012, he apologized for his statement about God and churches, but in November 2024, on the X network, he "joked" at the expense of Novi Sad activist Ilija Kostić, who had one of his testicles removed after a beating in the police station. He wrote that we can send Kostić to the next Olympics to box in the women's category. RTS reacted by condemning and dissociating itself from his comments, and announced that it would ask the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media to remove him from his position, to which Azdejković said that "there is nothing to resign from". And there was nothing.
photo: vladimir sporčić / tanjug…and D. Glišić
MINISTRY OF PEACE
Minister for Public Investments Darko Glišić told parents on Pink TV not to enroll their children in "blockade" colleges because their children will return "in suitcases".
"It is especially worrying that the minister says that he is aware of the weight of the words he is about to say”, says Rector Nikolić and adds that she thinks that a statement made with premeditation to cause fear, instability and panic, and to damage the reputation of the university community, should definitely be the subject of an investigation.
Minister of Information Boris Bratina said on Tanjug TV, after Minister Glišić's statement, that students are not aware "that the police have the right to beat and kill them". Rector Nikolić says that this statement can be interpreted as legitimizing violence and murder. The public can often hear that the messages sent through the regime's media are intended for the electorate of the government. However, it seems that these messages are ambiguous. Rector Nikolić believes that it is not easy for citizens who are not voters of the ruling party, as they are confused and torn between different media images, the reality they live in, the views of family and friends, and personal beliefs.
Professor Ana Milojević points out that we know from theory that the kind of speech that indirectly or explicitly calls for violence is far-reaching and can lead to greater tolerance for even worse forms of violence in public space. This is precisely why it is important that public figures have a higher degree of responsibility for the spoken word, which is often not the case. Then those who put the spoken words on the air are responsible - editors, journalists. "They have to react and filter such messages before they reach the audience," says Ana Milojević.
MINISTRY OF ABUNDANCE
As of the end of 2024, Serbia does not have a Council of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media, which further contributes to the fact that media with a national frequency, as well as other commercial media controlled by the government, carry out propaganda activities with impunity and make the most various types of accusations. For example, those placed on Informer television, that Rector Vladan Đokić and Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy Danijel Sinani are directly responsible for the death of a student at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade.
Ana Milojević points out that constituting the REM Council is important, but not enough. "We are witnessing that this institution is trapped and has not been performing its function properly for more than a decade," she believes.
Rector Mirjana Nikolić reminds that REM is the only body that has the authority to impose measures on broadcasters who break the law. This implies various measures - from a warning to the revocation of the broadcasting license. "The media know the situation, but knowingly, without any fear of sanctions, they break the law and the ethical code, relativize their responsibility," explains Mirjana Nikolić.
Professor Milojević assesses that the audience can only turn off or not watch programs that spread hate speech or violate the Code in another way, but that we are witnessing that this does not happen. "In that case, the power is not on the side of the public, and those responsible do nothing to bring media content within the framework of professional standards."
On the other hand, rector Nikolić states that the only room for reaction could be private lawsuits by citizens and the opening of proceedings.
WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS POWER
The rector of the University of Belgrade, Vladan Đokić, pointed out that the government is not afraid of crime, but of education. Intensive targeting, arrests, intimidation and pressures on students and the entire academic community have been going on for more than 16 months.
Professor Nikolić assesses that Rector Vladan Đokić, in the spirit of enlightenment, pointed out the importance of education with the message that knowledge is power. Accordingly, the professor and rector of the University of Arts reminds us of the words of the great Goethe, who believed that "real education instills strength", adding that knowledge is not only power, but also the future.
