During his appearance on N1’s morning show New Day, N1 Program Director Igor Bozic addressed recent accusations by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who claimed that N1 and Nova have repeatedly called for the overthrow of the constitutional order. Bozic’s response was direct: “If we truly endangered the state, then launch legal proceedings and prove it.”
Discussing the targeting of N1 journalist Danica Vucenic in pro-regime media, Bozic explained that she had simply told a lawyer during an interview that N1 received information his client’s case involved overthrowing the constitutional order, though it wasn’t clear exactly why.
“That phrasing immediately triggered a completely different one from government representatives, or rather everyone who deals in manipulation and spin, and then they arrived at a point where they claimed Danica was calling for executions. This is the (pro-regime tabloid) Informer playbook, taking words out of context and manufacturing an entirely different meaning,” Bozic said.
He noted that “Aleksandar Vucic has been building this narrative for months.”
“I think he felt emboldened during the August protests to label us ‘terrorist media,’ fueling a hostile atmosphere among the public that follows pro-government outlets – we are a terrorist media outlet, why, because we supposedly threaten the constitutional order. I warned then that they would continue to push this, and that very evening, the president’s advisor claimed we had endangered the state countless times. Again, I say: if we have done so, then launch legal proceedings and prove it,” Bozic said.
“They are literally demonizing us,” he said.
“In their statements, you can clearly see an attempt to force us into a box – as media outlets allegedly working against the state. This is Vucic’s constant refrain. The fact that we allow critical opinions and investigate topics they would rather ignore stems from the fact that we are not under their control. It’s a source of frustration for them because they can’t just pick up the phone and say ‘here are top stories for this evening’ like they do with others. In that frustration, they are putting us in a situation where they are endangering our safety. By using this rhetoric, they are effectively putting a target on our foreheads and legitimizing anyone who might want to take matters into their own hands. I don’t know how Vucic and his associates expect to stop someone who has been fed this propaganda from harming one of us,” Bozic explained.
Bozic also addressed comments made Thursday by the president’s media advisor, Suzana Vasiljevic. He said he found it “completely fascinating when Vasiljevic said the European Union (EU) wanted to restructure (Serbia’s media regulator) REM in order to shut down Informer (TV).”
“The logic is: fine, we’ll shut down Informer, but then we’ll shut down N1 and Nova too. They try to paint everyone as extremists. It’s that bizarre way of balancing reality, saying these are extremists, but so are these. It keeps you in a constant defensive loop…They refuse to stick to the facts, they prefer to spin. Actually, Vucic doesn’t just spin, he does a 720-degree turn until you can no longer tell what is true and what isn’t. You can’t even fact-check that volume of daily disinformation,” he said.
Bozic emphasized that N1’s registration in Luxembourg serves as its protection.
“To shut us down, they would have to violate agreements, cross-border broadcasting agreements with the EU. That is far more problematic for them than the REM, which operates under internal law. They signed an agreement with the EU and formally we are a European media outlet. Look at the charade they’ve made of the REM elections, they openly talk about ‘our’ and ‘their’ candidates. To them, everything is a game,” he said.
He also reflected on N1 television’s future.
“We know very little about the final plans. The essence of those plans, which we heard in that (leaked phone) conversation (between United Group CEO Stan Miller and Telekom Srbija CEO Vladimir Lucic) this summer, is that this government wants to exert influence on them to do things the way they would. Obviously that process has slowed down a bit. We see incredible nervousness and irrational reactions from those in power, especially Vucic. He is agitated, he often talks about us overthrowing the constitutional order, that he could ban us but hasn’t because that way he strengthens his voter base. That’s complete nonsense, the reality is usually the opposite of what he says. He says I could have shut them down but didn’t – actually, I couldn’t, but I will. Reverse what he says, bring it back to reality,” Bozic said.
Regarding Vreme weekly news portal journalist Andrej Ivanji’s comment that “there will be no elections until N1 and Nova are shut down,” Bozic agreed that the situation appears headed that way.
“Looking at the president’s nervousness and his statement in February – until November, and then we will start letting them go – it seems that he has a predetermined timeline for the elections and for bringing N1 and Nova into line. Ultimately, that depends on our majority owners,” he said.
Bozic added that there has been no response to the proposal for a management buyout.
“There has been no official communication from our majority owners – that is what’s problematic about all of this. If you are preparing something, it would be logical that you would tell us why, what your intentions are, who you want to do it with. We know none of that. We get the impression that they actually don’t know what to do with us. I am calling on them once again to accept our buyout proposal. We have support from reputable international funds in this. There is no reason for them to continue suffering under pressure from the Serbian authorities – they should accept the offer and they will solve all their problems,” he said.
For the majority owners, Bozic added, “they certainly don’t like it when they see both the European Parliament and European Commission dealing with this.”
“They are watching the situation closely. Those European institutions realize that these are the last points of defense, not just for free journalism, but for information that can reach the people of this country so they aren’t left in total darkness. Since that is clear to them, they know if this plan to stifle us succeeds, this country with such state propaganda for the next 20 years would truly be that hole in Europe’s colorful tapestry that Tomislav Nikolic had talked about,” said Bozic.
Reflecting on the year’s end, Bozic expressed a mixture of pride and concern.
“I think that under completely abnormal conditions, with a fraction of the staff of the public broadcasters, we have essentially fulfilled the role of a public broadcaster, and I must congratulate all the people working at N1 for their effort, dedication, and commitment. It is incredible how much energy people have invested, not because they gained anything from it, but because they considered it their job and took on the responsibility of a public broadcaster to provide information to citizens – they swallowed tear gas, got hit with batons, dodged fireworks, fled from thugs. Our reporters, cameramen, and everyone who worked 12-hour shifts on those special programs endured so much, and tha’’s not easy at all, especially when it continues for more than a year now. I am proud of everyone who works here. I think our viewers should understand what a sacrifice they’ve made. It’s no small thing when you are nominated for a courage award, competing with people who are in prisons or exile, and when you make that list, you realize that someone in the world noticed how we’ve been, what we’ve survived this year. I think that’s a great recognition, perhaps the greatest any TV newsroom has received, certainly in Serbia,” said Bozic.
Source: N1
