The Press Council of Serbia has ruled that the pro-government tabloid portal Kurir grossly violated the Serbian Journalists’ Code of Ethics during a coordinated series of articles targeting the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCBP) and other civil society organizations (CSOs).
According to a press release issued by the BCBP, the ruling by the Council’s Complaints Commission serves as a critical confirmation that the media landscape cannot be weaponized for political vendettas and reputation destruction with impunity.
Retaliation Against Anti-Propaganda Research
The Press Council’s investigation was launched after Kurir initiated an aggressive smear campaign against the civil sector. The attacks were a direct retaliation to a comprehensive BCBP research paper that exposed pro-Russian propaganda networks within Serbia’s mainstream domestic media outlets.
Instead of offering a professional, fact-based response or critique of the research, Kurir chose to launch unprovoked, unsubstantiated attacks on the watchdog organizations.
“The Press Council clearly assessed that this media outlet crossed the line of legitimate criticism, deliberately violated its obligation to truthful reporting, and subordinated professional standards to the economic and political interests of its publisher,” the BCBP statement read.
Systematic Defamation Without Evidence
In its formal justification, the Press Council’s Complaints Commission highlighted several severe ethical breaches committed by the tabloid:
- Unsubstantiated Accusations: Kurir labeled civil society organizations as “brakes on European integration” without providing a shred of evidence.
- Compromised Editorial Independence: The publisher’s political and commercial interests directly dictated and corrupted the outlet’s editorial policy.
- Malicious Intent: The platform actively engaged in spreading falsehoods designed to continuously and maliciously damage the reputation of independent civic organizations.
As a punitive measure, the Press Council has ordered Kurir to publicly feature the full text of the Complaints Commission’s guilty verdict on its website within five days.
BCBP Vows to Continue Watchdog Operations
The BCBP welcomed the ruling, calling it a milestone for media accountability in an environment where independent organizations are frequently targeted by state-aligned media machinery for pointing out systemic societal and geopolitical issues.
“Regardless of the pressures and orchestrated campaigns, BCBP remains firmly committed to its core values,” the center stated. “Our work will, as always, be based exclusively on professional, evidence-backed research, verified facts, and the defense of democratic principles.”
