“Being targeted is the price of professionalism, but nothing will shake us.” This is how Darko Dimitrijević, editor-in-chief of Radio Gorazdevac—a Serbian-language media outlet operating in Gorazdevac, Peja—reacts to claims made by the Serbian portal Srpski Glas that his media outlet “works in favor of independent Kosovo.”
“We strive to work within professional standards. Our stories and results over the past 25 years speak for themselves,” Dimitrijević told Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL).
The newly established portal Srpski Glas announced on March 27 that it is launching a series of articles highlighting media outlets that allegedly “present part of the territory of the Republic of Serbia, the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, as an independent state.”
Radio Gorazdevac Accused of “Legitimizing” Kosovo
The first report in this series focused on Radio Gorazdevac.
“One such media outlet is Radio Gorazdevac, which, through its portal gorazdevac.com, publishes daily news using terms such as ‘President of Kosovo,’ ‘Prime Minister of Kosovo,’ and others, thereby giving full legitimacy to the Albanian separatists and the so-called ‘fake state’ of Kosovo,” reads the article on Srpski Glas, which concludes with a call to boycott the radio station for allegedly “promoting independent Kosovo.”
Dimitrijević stated that the case has been reported to the Department for High-Tech Crime in Serbia, emphasizing that targeting media outlets poses a risk to journalists’ safety. Journalist associations in both Kosovo and Serbia have condemned Srpski Glas’s publication.
What Is Known About Srpski Glas?
The domain srpskiglas.rs was registered on January 7, 2025, by a private individual, according to records from Serbia’s National Internet Domain Registry. The domain was registered via Superhosting, an international company operating in Serbia since 2019.
As of April 2, the individuals behind the portal remain unknown. It did not have an impressum listing the editor-in-chief, address, registration number, or other legally required information.
The only description provided states that the editorial policy is “independent, allowing for true and accurate reporting.”
On March 28, through its Facebook page, Srpski Glas announced that it is in the process of registration and intends to file lawsuits and legal actions against Radio Gorazdevac, accusing it of launching a campaign against Srpski Glas through “numerous anti-Serbian associations and portals.”
As of April 2, Srpski Glas was not registered as a media outlet in Serbia’s Business Registry Agency, as required by the Law on Public Information.
RFE/RL reached out to Srpski Glas via the email address listed on its portal, requesting clarification on its registration status, its lack of an impressum, its sources of funding, and its mission statement. However, no response was received before publication.
Additionally, Srpski Glas has not explained how the use of terms such as “President of Kosovo” and “Prime Minister of Kosovo” by Radio Gorazdevac constitutes support for Kosovo’s independence.
Frequent Name Changes on Facebook
The Srpski Glas Facebook page shows that the portal is also active on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Telegram.
According to Facebook transparency data, the Srpski Glas page was created on September 3, 2020, and has since undergone 12 name changes. The page is managed from Germany and Serbia.
Initially, the page was named Nacionalni, then changed to Glas Srba in 2021, followed by Srpski Glas. In 2022, it was renamed Identitet.rs, then Glas Rusije, later Nacionalni.rs, and in 2023, it reverted to Srpski Glas.
The Srpski Glas Telegram channel was created in August 2022 and has 2,127 members. Its earliest visible post links to the now-defunct page Nacionalni.
The Telegram channel frequently features pro-Russian, anti-EU, and anti-NATO narratives, as well as claims that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia. It also regularly shares updates on ongoing protests in Serbia.
Similar content can be found on the Srpski Glas Instagram account, created in 2022 and managed from Germany. The account has changed its name twice. The X account, also created in 2022 and managed from Serbia, shares content similar to that on Telegram and Instagram.
The first Srpski Glas post on TikTok was published on November 24, 2024, primarily featuring content related to current protests in Serbia.
Social media analysis links Srpski Glas to websites such as identitet.rs, srpskagazeta.wordpress.com, srpskiglas.wordpress.com, and the now-closed nacionalni.rs. None of these sites disclose domain ownership information.
Dimitrijević Hopes for an Investigation
Darko Dimitrijević, editor-in-chief of Radio Gorazdevac, told RFE/RL that he has informed Serbia’s Department for High-Tech Crime about the targeting of his media outlet and hopes that an investigation will determine the reasons behind such actions.
The case has also been reported to professional journalist associations in both Kosovo and Serbia, as well as Serbia’s Press Council, due to suspicions that Srpski Glas may be connected to Serbian authorities.
Dimitrijević warns that targeting media outlets endangers journalists’ safety.
“Whether threats come from Pristina or Belgrade, like these recent ones from Srpski Glas, it is no small matter. These are things that journalists must report. We have had similar experiences over the past decades. We will see if the authorities resolve such cases,” he stated.
Journalists Fear Being Targeted
Danijella Tomašević, a journalist at the Serbian-language local radio Kontakt Plus in North Mitrovica, also expresses concerns about being targeted. She warns that labeling journalists as “traitors” or “collaborators with separatists” is not just an attack on their professional work but also a threat to their personal safety.
She argues that using proper terminology in daily reporting by Serbian-language media in Kosovo should not be part of “political clashes or efforts to discredit journalists.”
“These attacks—because I consider them attacks—create a climate of fear, lead to censorship and self-censorship, and ultimately aim to suppress freedom of speech and the right of citizens to accurate and reliable information,” Tomašević told RFE/RL.
She emphasizes that local Serbian-language media in Kosovo are “crucial during critical situations.”
“These are media outlets that have existed since 2000, providing timely information to citizens during the most critical moments,” she said.
Journalist Associations Condemn the Targeting
The Association of Journalists of Kosovo strongly condemned “this type of targeting and the subsequent threats that endanger journalists’ physical safety.”
“Journalists must be allowed to do their job without obstacles and fear,” the association stated.
The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) also condemned the labeling of journalists as “traitors” and “collaborators with separatists.”
They stressed that Srpski Glas‘s accusations amount to a call for lynching, directly endangering journalists’ safety and seriously violating fundamental rights to freedom of expression and media freedom.
