The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS/IJAS) express deep concern over the serious pressure and violations of professional standards to which journalists and media workers at Euronews Serbia have been subjected for months. Editors and managers must never be sources of pressure; they should be the first line of defense for professionalism and journalistic ethics.
According to information we have received, employees in the Euronews Serbia newsroom are facing intense pressure from management and editorial leadership, including censorship, unprofessional demands, bans on asking certain government officials questions, and sanctions for refusing to comply with such directives. A number of journalists have already left the outlet due to the degradation of basic journalistic principles and unacceptable working conditions.
Particularly alarming are reports that employees have been openly warned that they “must be aware of who owns the media” if they wish to keep their jobs—an egregious breach of freedom of expression and editorial independence. The owner of Euronews Serbia is Telekom Srbija, a company majority-owned by the state.
The situation escalated further following the publication of a statement issued under the name Euronews Serbia, containing highly inappropriate and manipulative language in reference to recent civic protests in front of Radio Television of Serbia. The statement was not signed by the editorial team, and over 80 journalists and other media professionals from the newsroom publicly distanced themselves from its content, emphasizing that it did not reflect their professional views or the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics.
In addition to the incidents already documented in recent months, employees at Euronews Serbia are now facing direct threats from the employer after exercising their legal right to publicly express disagreement with the company’s recent official statement. These actions, which appear to be retaliatory in nature, are in clear violation of the Law on Public Information and Media, which explicitly prohibits punishing journalists for publicly expressed views.
According to the journalists from Euronews Serbia, the threats, including verbal warnings of dismissals, have come directly from the regional director. Staff have also been informed of upcoming “rationalisation” measures, including layoffs, and a planned decrease in editorial content output, all allegedly due to underperformance. These measures are expected to take place over the next two months. However, new staff members continue to be hired during this period, raising serious concerns about the credibility and consistency of the redundancy claims. On the very day the downsizing was announced, a new journalist joined the newsroom.
These developments began after the vast majority of Euronews Serbia’s employees, including journalists, editors, camera operators, technicians, production coordinators, and other media professionals publicly stated their disagreement with the management’s position. Since then, the shift schedule has been radically altered in a way that is extremely exhausting and unsustainable for employees. One entire shift of a group of workers was abruptly removed from the roster, with no clear explanation. There is growing concern among staff that such changes are intended to fabricate the appearance of overstaffing in order to justify upcoming layoffs.
We remind all stakeholders that media freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Serbia, as well as by international documents that recognize the right to free public information as a fundamental human right. Censorship, threats, blackmail, and pressure on journalists are entirely unacceptable in any democratic society.
We call on Euronews Serbia’s management and editorial leadership to immediately cease these practices and ensure conditions for the free and professional work of all employees, without fear of retaliation. In particular, all pressure tactics – such as threats of dismissal, and disciplinary actions against journalists for upholding professional integrity – must be halted without delay. Any attempt to suppress media freedom or violate journalists’ rights must be firmly condemned.
EFJ and IJAS will continue to support all journalists who are fighting for their right to work freely, in accordance with the law, professional standards, and their conscience. We will inform all relevant domestic institutions and international organizations dedicated to the protection of media freedom and the safety of journalists.
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS/IJAS)