Serbia’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is once again showing what happens when independent journalism becomes inconvenient: journalists are pushed out, access is denied, and the public is kept in the dark.
The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) has condemned the latest cases of discrimination against media covering SNS events. A Mašina journalist was prevented from working at an SNS gathering in Surčin, while journalists from Bečejski mozaik and Webinfo were denied access to an event in Bečej involving state and local officials meeting with pensioners.
The timing is particularly troubling: Serbia is less than a week away from elections.
This is not just an insult to journalists. It is an attempt to control what citizens are allowed to see and hear about those seeking their votes. When ruling-party organisers decide which newsrooms are acceptable and which must stay outside, they are undermining the public’s right to information.
And this is not an isolated incident. Journalists from independent outlets have faced similar restrictions at previous SNS campaign events, including a rally in Zaječar where security guards stopped TV Nova and local media from reporting. N1 reported on that incident.
NUNS has demanded explanations from the organisers, the Municipality of Bečej and the Ministry of Mining and Energy, including who ordered the exclusion of invited and accredited journalists and under what criteria.
Here is the question SNS needs to answer: what exactly are its officials so afraid independent journalists might report?
If a political party claims to represent the public, it cannot treat the press as an enemy simply because reporters might ask difficult questions or expose uncomfortable facts. Public officials are accountable to citizens—not the other way around.
Serbia cannot claim to hold democratic elections while journalists are selectively excluded from political events. A campaign that tries to choose its own journalists is not protecting transparency; it is trying to control the narrative.
SNS must stop treating independent media as adversaries. The organisers must explain their decisions, and authorities must ensure equal access for journalists without political discrimination.
When those in power decide who is allowed to report, citizens lose their right to know. That is the real scandal.
