An edited video was recently published by the Instagram page “the Princip_shop,” in which numerous public figures, including journalists, were presented as political opponents supporting Kosovo’s independence, says the information posted on the Mapping Media Freedom website.
“The video consists of excerpts of their statements, taken out of context and adapted to the narrative of ‘Serbia’s enemies’, i.e. marking them as representatives of ‘fake Serbia’,” the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) reported on its portal, while this information was shared on Mapping Media Freedom, a portal that documents press and media freedom violations across European Union (EU) states and EU candidate countries.
Among the journalists targeted by the manipulated video were Jelena Obucina, TV presenter at Newsmax Media, Nova S TV journalists Zoran Kesic, Marko Stepanovic and Zeljko Veljkovic, as well as Ivan Ivanovic (Blic TV) and Marko Vidojkovic (podcast show “Good, Bad, Evil”). The video, shared by “the Princip_shop”, which is followed by over 85 thousand accounts, was widely shared on social media, said the portal.
“This way of targeting is extremely dangerous and endangers the safety of people whose statements are deliberately taken out of context to fit the desired narrative,” NUNS said. “Some of those featured in the video reported receiving death threats,” Pen International said, urging the Serbian authorities to ensure a safe and enabling environment for journalists amid rising tensions in the country.
According to the Mapping Media Freedom portal, the fatal accident at a train station in Novi Sad on 1 November has exacerbated political tensions, with journalists increasingly targeted for covering the wider protests that have swept Serbia.
As of 8 February, NUNS recorded four physical attacks on journalists, seven verbal threats, and 16 other incidents of pressure since January 2025, highlighting the importance of countering discrediting and false narratives that put journalists under threat.
Source: N1
