The Regression of Media Freedom in Serbia and the Instrumentalization of the Issue of Serbian Print Media in Kosovo
When the facts damage Serbia, propaganda attacks Kosovo
Serbia has recorded a regression in the Media Freedom Index, ranking 104th, down from 96th place last year. At the same time, Kosovo has advanced by 15 places. This decline of Serbia and rise of Kosovo appears to have caused political concern inside Serbia and within its media network beyond its borders.
Immediately after the publication of the index, several Serbian media outlets began shifting attention away from Serbia’s regression and toward Kosovo. Instead of addressing the reasons why Serbia is falling in international media freedom rankings, they searched for a topic related to the media, but one that could be used against Kosovo.
Repackaging the narrative about Serbian newspapers
This is a familiar narrative technique: Serbia’s authoritarianization is sought to be covered up through the victimization of Serbs in Kosovo. According to some Serbian media outlets, the entry of newspapers from Serbia into Kosovo has been blocked for three years now. This issue has been turned into a political narrative, where a problem of physical import and print distribution is presented as Kosovo’s censorship of information in the Serbian language.
The fact that this narrative is being used to cover Serbia’s regression can also be seen from the comparison with last year. Back then, the narrative was built mainly around “the right of Serbs to information.” This year, the same topic has been repackaged and hardened: it is now presented as censorship by Kosovo against the Serbian press and as the “complicity” of the international community.
So, while Serbian media remain silent about the regression of media freedom in Serbia, they shift the debate to Kosovo. The goal is clear: to divert attention from the real problem, which is the democratic and media deterioration in Serbia.
Why this is not censorship, but a shifting of the debate
It should be recalled that several Serbian-language media outlets operate in Kosovo. The minimum documentable number is around 10 to 15, including portals, radio stations, and local television channels. Moreover, RTK2, a separate Serbian-language channel, also operates with public funding from the Republic of Kosovo. RTK1 also has designated space for news and materials in the Serbian language.
No portal or digital media outlet from Serbia is sanctioned in Kosovo. In addition, the Serbian language is an official language at the national level in Kosovo. Under the Law on the Use of Languages, Serbian citizens are guaranteed access to services and information in their own language, and this is implemented in institutions, public documents, and official communication.
Due to rapid digitalization, the print press has declined significantly across the entire region. In Kosovo, there have been no daily print media outlets with real weight in the market for years. In Serbia as well, according to the Media Ownership Monitor, the print market has experienced a major decline over the years, while the print press is the media segment that is continuously losing audience. According to IPSOS data, the daily print audience in Serbia was halved between 2016 and 2022.
The Reuters Institute, in the Digital News Report 2025 for Serbia, also emphasizes that the print press is losing readers and revenue. According to this report, print media in Serbia account for only 5% of advertising revenue, while online media reach more than 27%.
IREX/VIBE 2024 for Serbia also finds that, in line with global trends, the popularity of print media in Serbia continues to decline. Competition from online media and access to free information are the main challenges for print publications.
Therefore, the Serbian press cannot simply be presented as a victim of Kosovo. Serbian-language newspapers coming from Serbia have been affected as physical goods, within the framework of measures and obstacles related to supply, import, and distribution. There is no evidence that Kosovo has banned the Serbian press because of language or editorial content. This is the essential distinction between a commercial/logistical problem and a claim of political censorship.
The debate must be returned to Serbia’s regression
In summary, faced with the decline of media freedom in Serbia and Kosovo’s improvement in the international index, Serbian media are trying to shift the debate from Serbia to Kosovo. Instead of dealing with pressure on journalists, propaganda, disinformation, and the capture of the media space in Serbia, they produce a narrative of victimization about Serbs in Kosovo.
This is not an honest analysis of media freedom. It is an attempt to cover Serbia’s media authoritarianization with a recycled topic against Kosovo. For this reason, the debate must be returned to where it belongs: to Serbia’s regression, to political control over the media, and to the use of Serbian media as an instrument to attack Kosovo even when international facts say otherwise.
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