After Aleksandar Vucic's poll loss, Serbian broadcaster apologises for years of bias

Serbian broadcaster RTV apologised for years of one-sided reporting after the ruling alliance's election defeat. The admission sharpened scrutiny of media bias as the victorious Student List prepared to challenge entrenched political networks.RTV also opened its evening news bulletin with footage of celebrations over the Student List's victory. (Photo: X/@nexta_tv)After the ruling alliance of Aleksandar Vucic suffered a shock election defeat, a Serbian television station has apologised for years of one-sided reporting, admitting it failed to challenge those in power and hold the government to account.Goran Eror, a news anchor at Radio Television Vojvodina (RTV), delivered the apology during a broadcast, acknowledging that the state-backed regional broadcaster had failed to hold those in power to account.This is quite something ! Serbian RTV channel starts yesterday's bulletin by apologizing to viewers "For years, we failed to fulfill our duty. We kept silent, turned a blind eye, reported events one-sidedly and failed to ask necessary questions. We owe our viewers an apology” https://t.co/gFozFssv0B— Alex Taylor (@AlexTaylorNews) October 27, 2026"For years, we failed to fulfil our duty," Eror said."We kept silent, turned a blind eye, reported events one-sidedly and failed to ask the necessary questions. For that, we owe our viewers an apology," he added. The admission marks a striking moment for Serbian public broadcasting, as the country's student-led movement, known as the Student List, celebrates its election victory and prepares to challenge the political networks built during Vucic's years in power.RTV also opened its evening news bulletin with footage of celebrations over the Student List's victory, images it had not shown the previous night. The channel's acting editor-in-chief, Nenad Cacic, has resigned.STUDENT MOVEMENT TARGETS MEDIA BIAS The Student List emerged from a wave of anti-corruption protests and has pledged to confront corruption, cronyism and the alleged capture of state institutions.Vucic, who served as prime minister and president during his years at the centre of Serbian politics, has maintained close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Critics have accused his government of exerting pressure on independent journalism and using state institutions to consolidate power.The protests that helped fuel the political shift began after a railway station canopy collapsed in the northern city of Novi Sad in 2024, killing 16 people. The disaster triggered widespread anger over alleged corruption, negligence and accountability, with demonstrations continuing for nearly two years.The student movement has demanded changes at public broadcasters, arguing that their coverage favoured the ruling camp and gave insufficient scrutiny to those in power.PROTESTERS ENTER PRO-VUCIC TV STATIONSThe changing political climate has also brought tensions to private broadcasters supportive of Vucic.On Monday evening, around 30 people entered the newsroom of Informer TV, a pro-government channel, interrupting its broadcast and surrounding its editor-in-chief and owner, Dragan Vucicevic.Some protesters shouted, "This is how it is in free Serbia" and "Where is Vucic now?" Others called for Vucicevic's arrest.Vucic condemned the incident on Instagram, describing it as an attack on free speech and journalistic freedom.Vucicevic, meanwhile, accused the student movement of seeking to silence its critics."On the very first day of (Student List) power, they want to ban the media. They have said everything about themselves, and nothing about us," he told Reuters.A group also gathered outside Pink TV, another private broadcaster supportive of Vucic, in Belgrade on Monday evening. Police cordoned off the station.The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia said it would submit an application to revoke Informer TV's broadcasting licence, citing what it described as systematic violations of the law and the channel's programme obligations.PRESS FREEDOM UNDER SCRUTINYThe dispute comes against a backdrop of concerns about the state of journalism in Serbia. Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 104th out of 180 in its 2026 World Press Freedom Index, its lowest position on record.Election monitoring group Crta said last week that television stations with national reach devoted three-quarters of their political coverage to government representatives. The Student List, it added, was portrayed negatively in more than 80 per cent of the coverage in which it featured.The figures have intensified scrutiny of broadcasters' role in shaping public opinion during the campaign and the extent to which opposition voices were able to reach voters.RTV's apology also echoes a similar admission by Hungary's main state television channel after the defeat of former prime minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party. In July, the broadcaster displayed a black screen carrying the message: "Public media cannot lie. We apologise for doing so for many years."- Ends