Serbia has been identified as a high-risk country for media pluralism and media freedom, with an overall risk level of 74 percent, according to the Media Pluralism Monitor 2026 (MPM 2026) published by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF). The report reveals that all four assessed areas in Serbia have fallen into the “high-risk” category.
Specifically, Political Independence is assessed at a risk level of 81 percent, while Market Plurality and Social Inclusiveness both stand at 74 percent. Notably, the area of Fundamental Protection has entered the high-risk band for the first time with a score of 69 percent.
The report says that political influence on the media is assessed as the gravest threat, with the indicator for the political independence of media reaching a 97 percent risk, and editorial autonomy standing at 90 percent.
The report highlights a sharp escalation in violence during 2025, recording at least 98 physical assaults on journalists, while a total of 340 journalists and media outlets were affected by various forms of pressure.
Key systemic issues identified in this area include the dysfunction of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), which has remained without a quorum following member resignations in December 2025. The report also flags the filing of 48 SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation) since 2020, as well as the confirmed use of spyware such as Pegasus and Predator.
In the area of Market Plurality, the risk within digital markets has reached 97 percent, with the four largest owners controlling nearly 80 percent of the media market.
The document records that on December 31, 2025, Telekom Srbija became the majority owner of Mondo INC, thereby assuming control of the outlet Kurir.
The independence of public service media – specifically the Serbian state TV (RTS) and there Radio Television of Vojvodina – is assessed at an 85 percent risk level due to a persistent “bias in favor of the authorities.”
The report provides data showing that opposition parties receive between only 1 percent and 2 percent of airtime on RTS. For instance, on December 28, 2025, RTS devoted approximately 23 minutes of coverage to the Serbian president, while a student-led initiative received just one minute, without any direct statements.
Regarding Social Inclusiveness, the report warns of the worsening problem of “news deserts” and a decline in the quality and relevance of local information. It further notes that ahead of the 2026 local elections, members of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) acquired financially troubled local media outlets.
The report also records a significant gender imbalance in management and editorial structures. While women make up 52.7 percent of employees in public service media, they hold only 20 percent of editor-in-chief positions across the eight most influential media outlets and appear as experts in news programming in only 12 percent of cases.
Source: N1
