Serbian pro-government outlet Alo has accused the opposition-leaning daily Danas of quickly republishing Croatian media reports critical of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, portraying the coverage as part of what it describes as an anti-government media campaign.
In an article published on August 26, Alo criticized Danas for reporting comments by Croatian Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar concerning Vučić, while arguing that the Serbian president’s own remarks were omitted from the report.
The criticism follows Vučić’s recent comments about coverage of his visits across Serbia by Croatian media. During a visit to the Rasina District, the Serbian president said he had no objection to the attention and argued that Croatian politicians and journalists should continue following his activities.
“That is good news. What else should they do there? They have finished all their business,” Vučić said, adding that following him could allow Croatian observers to learn how politics is conducted and see Serbia narrowing what he described as a long-standing economic and political gap.
Vučić also dismissed negative commentary from Croatia, saying it did not concern him and instead motivated him further.
The Serbian president additionally responded to comments by Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković regarding Serbia’s military acquisitions. Jandroković had raised concerns about what he described as Serbia acquiring “offensive weapons” and said Croatia would need to inform its Western allies.
Vučić rejected the characterization, accusing Croatian officials of thinking in terms of past conflicts and warning that “that time has passed.”
The dispute intensified after Croatian Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar commented on Vučić’s remarks on the social media platform X. Croatian media subsequently reported on the exchange, with Danas also publishing coverage.
Alo framed Danas’ report as evidence that the outlet was particularly eager to reproduce negative coverage of Vučić originating in Croatian media.
The article accused Danas of selectively presenting the controversy by highlighting Šušnjar’s remarks while leaving out Vučić’s comments.
The episode reflects the broader polarization of Serbia’s media landscape, where pro-government outlets and opposition-oriented media frequently accuse one another of selective reporting, political bias and using foreign media coverage to reinforce domestic political narratives.
