This article examines how pro-government tabloids are expanding and organizing across Western Serbia in order to spread regime propaganda ahead of local elections and attack opponents of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
“What are you doing in Čačak?” asked Informer editor-in-chief Dragan J. Vučićević during an editorial meeting broadcast on Informer TV, addressing his deputy who appeared jokingly from the studio of TV Lav Plus in Čačak.
Dejan Vukelić replied that he had been invited by “some good people.”
“To help them break a terrible campaign of lies that has been going on in Čačak and throughout western Serbia for a long time,” Vukelić added.
Vučić Follows Informer
All of these “good people” appear to be working toward the same political goal.
The television station is part of a media package acquired late last year by the owner of the tabloid Alo. The owner established or took over several television and radio stations in Western Serbia, specifically in municipalities and cities where local elections are planned.
Approximately €200,000 was reportedly spent on acquiring these media outlets.
At one of the stations, employees refused to participate in promoting the ruling party and attacking the opposition, after which an Informer editor appeared on screen instead, according to local outlet Ozon Press.
Targets of attacks include correspondents of Nova, N1, Ozon Press, as well as citizen groups “ProBudimo Čačak” and “Ivan Ćalović – Truth and Honor.”
The new owners have already announced the arrival of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and senior SNS officials ahead of the elections, along with appearances by popular music stars.
Same Owner, Same Editor, Same Propaganda
Three new portals — Srbija na istoku, Palanačke vesti, and Glas Aranđelovca — were all registered on the same day, January 9, 2026, with the Serbian Business Registers Agency (APR).
All three are owned by the Novi Sad–based company Zaple Media Group d.o.o., owned by Milica Lainović, with Gradimir Banković listed as director.
The company itself was founded just one month earlier, on December 11, 2025, according to APR data.
- Srbija na istoku covers Kladovo, Majdanpek, Negotin, Bor, and Zaječar
- Palanačke vesti focuses on Smederevska Palanka
- Glas Aranđelovca covers the municipality of Aranđelovac
None of the three websites contain an imprint, and articles are not signed by named authors, as reported by Vreme in January 2026.
According to the Media Register, Gradimir Banković is listed as editor-in-chief of all three portals, meaning that one individual edits media covering multiple municipalities holding elections this year.
Banković is also:
- Owner and director of Elementum Media d.o.o., registered for television production and broadcasting
- Legal representative of the association “Kogitatum Center”, which received funds from Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection in 2021
Increased Repression
In recent years, Banković has appeared publicly as an analyst and media guest, representing the Center for Social Stability, an organization known for producing propaganda films for the Serbian Progressive Party and organizing so-called “anti-blockade” protests, the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) stated.
“This is certainly linked to local elections. In some areas, we already see increased repression against activists and journalists, such as in Bor. On one hand, capacities for influencing public opinion are being strengthened, while on the other, independent media are being suppressed through pressure,”
said Veran Matić, President of ANEM’s Managing Board, for Vreme.
Matić reminded that the Center for Social Stability was also active in organizing pro-government protests, increasingly positioning itself as a structure operating in the service of the authorities.
“We are witnessing an accumulation of media outlets and the creation of a coordinated network, with the Center for Social Stability at its core,” Matić added.
