The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) strongly condemns the targeting of N1 television journalist Veljko Pajović by the tabloid Informer, which described him in an article published on its website as a “fascist propagandist” and baselessly accused him of threatening Member of Parliament Marijan Rističević.
Informer claimed that “the so-called journalist Veljko Pajović made a horrific threat against Member of Parliament Marijan Rističević, revealing the darkest, fascist face of the blockade movement’s politics,” presenting Pajović’s comment published on the social media platform X as a threat.
The accusation stemmed from Pajović’s comment on Rističević’s address in the National Assembly. During the parliamentary debate, Rističević claimed that representatives of the ruling majority had been threatened with being thrown into the Danube River.
Pajović wrote on X:
“You said today in the National Assembly that people had threatened to throw you into the Danube, Marijan Rističević. They won’t, Marijan – the water level is too low.”
As Veljko Pajović told IJAS, the post was clearly intended as a joke but was deliberately taken out of context and presented as a threat.
“I am always careful about what I write because I know the other side can present it in whatever way suits them, but this was obviously meant as a joke. If you read it carefully, I didn’t say ‘we won’t’ – I said ‘they won’t.’ I have no reason to justify myself. If I believed I had done something wrong, I would have deleted the post,” Pajović said.
IJAS warns that this kind of reporting is dangerous because manipulating context and making unfounded accusations turns journalists into legitimate targets for public attacks. In an atmosphere of deep social divisions and ongoing campaigns against independent media, such targeting can lead to new threats, harassment, and even physical attacks on journalists.
We remind the public that the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics clearly stipulates that journalists are obliged to report accurately, comprehensively, and in the proper context. It also states that publishing unfounded accusations, defamatory claims, and content aimed at discrediting individuals without factual basis is incompatible with professional journalism.
IJAS calls on media outlets to refrain from manipulative reporting, labeling, and campaigns targeting journalists and media professionals. Public criticism of journalists’ work is legitimate, but deliberately distorting their statements and portraying satirical or ironic comments as threats constitutes a serious abuse of the media and further contributes to creating a hostile environment for journalists.
Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS)
Belgrade, 30 July 2026
