Journalists’ unions representing Nova.rs, Radar, N1 and Forbes have condemned the way Portuguese company Alpac Capital is taking over media outlets in Serbia operating under the Adria News Network, warning that they will not accept journalism becoming the property of political or business interests.
In a joint statement, the unions said Pedro Vargas Santos David, the owner of Alpac Capital, was registered with Serbia’s Business Registers Agency (APR) on Monday as director of all the media outlets in the group, including N1, TV Nova, Nova.rs, Radar and Danas.
The unions said the registration was carried out during the summer holiday period without any notification to employees, further increasing concerns among journalists.
“Particularly concerning is the fact that Pedro Vargas has been registered as the new director, while United Fiber Sarl continues to be listed as the owner, a company that operates or operated within United Group,” the unions said.
According to the unions, the developments suggest that Alpac Capital is seeking to accelerate its takeover of N1, Nova, Danas and Radar, despite allegedly not having obtained all necessary approvals and authorizations from the relevant institutions.
They also claimed that, with the support of BC Partners, a co-owner of United Group, changes to the senior management of the news organizations had already begun.
“Journalists at our media outlets suspect that this will not stop here and that further changes to editors will follow, with the aim of aligning the remaining independent and professional media with the wishes of the current regime,” the statement said.
The unions stressed that the editorial teams’ position remains clear: changes to senior management and ownership structures will not affect their editorial policies, professional standards or journalistic integrity as long as the current editorial teams remain in place.
They argued that media organizations cannot be treated solely as businesses because they also have responsibilities toward the public and the public interest.
“Media are not only a business; above all, they are accountable to the public and the public interest, and only then to ownership structures,” the unions said.
The unions said journalists at the affected outlets had spent years defending independent and professional journalism and had resisted political pressure, threats and attacks.
“We have withstood all forms of pressure and attacks, verbal and physical, and we will continue to withstand them,” they said.
The unions called on the new director to hold an urgent meeting with representatives of the recognized trade unions and provide written guarantees that the editorial policy and positions of editors and journalists would not be interfered with.
The dispute comes amid the ongoing restructuring and ownership changes involving United Group’s media assets in Serbia, raising broader concerns over media independence and editorial freedom in the country.
