The SafeJournalists Network strongly condemns the targeting of journalists Darija Ranković from the Kolubarske newsroom and Slavica Vujanac from the vamedia.info portal, who were accused during the television program Paralela on Informer TV of “undermining the state,” “extortion,” and “blackmail,” without any evidence being presented. During the broadcast, their photographs were displayed, and they were subjected to insults based on their physical appearance.
During the program, Darija Ranković and Slavica Vujanac were accused of receiving money from state institutions “to undermine the state” because certain local public companies advertise on their media outlets. Host Andrea Veskov, addressing directors and managers of state institutions, asked, “Are you out of your minds?” and “How long do you intend to keep financing things like this?” with public funds, claiming that such spending finances “the destruction of the state.” “So, you are paying these people to pump things up and bring down the state,” Veskov said.
The same program also featured allegations that local officials and public institution managers pay substantial extortion money to these media outlets in exchange for “monthly peace.” Saša Milovanović, director of Srpski telegraf, claimed that local officials “curry favor by paying substantial extortion money to these opposition media” so that they would refrain from writing about them and instead “attack Vučić.” The host then accused the journalists of going “from company to company” and “literally blackmailing and threatening people,” before calling on the competent authorities to “deal with this issue as soon as possible.”
While introducing a photograph of Darija Ranković, the host stated: “I know the photograph you are about to see is not pleasant to look at, but we need to know who Darija Ranković is,” after which Milovanović made an insulting remark. Such public humiliation of women journalists represents one of the lowest forms of retaliation against critical media and dissenting voices.
The SafeJournalists Network warns that these unfounded accusations constitute dangerous targeting of women journalists and an attempt to discredit them in the eyes of the public. Accusing journalists of undermining the state, extortion, and blackmail without presenting any evidence may have serious consequences for their safety, professional integrity, and ability to continue performing their work.
Particularly alarming is the gender-based humiliation of these journalists through comments about their physical appearance. Such attacks have nothing to do with legitimate criticism of journalistic work; rather, they constitute sexist and degrading abuse in the public sphere, aimed at humiliating and silencing women journalists.
The SafeJournalists Network reminds the public that public funds do not belong to the government, political parties, or public officials, but to all citizens of Serbia. The allocation of public funds to the media must be transparent, lawful, and based on the public interest. It is deeply concerning that the distribution of public funds is being used as a pretext for a smear campaign against journalists and local media outlets that report critically. We also emphasize that pro-government media in Serbia, such as Informer and Srpski telegraf, receive the largest amounts of state funding through public co-financing schemes and public procurement.
We call on the Ministry of Information to condemn these attacks and, within its mandate, contribute to creating an environment in which journalists can carry out their work free from pressure, intimidation, and public lynching.
The SafeJournalists Network will inform the relevant national and international stakeholders monitoring media freedom and the safety of journalists about this case.
Pristina – Skopje – Sarajevo – Zagreb – Belgrade – Podgorica – Tirana, 6 July 2026
Croatian Journalists’ Association
Association of Journalists of Kosovo
Association of Journalists of Macedonia
BH Journalists Association
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia
Trade Union of Media of Montenegro