The Republic of Vučić’s Regime Propaganda: Media use to build hatred, power and control

Serbia ranked among the worst-performing countries in terms of press freedom

In today’s Serbia, the media landscape has transformed into a domain dominated by propaganda, disinformation, self-censorship, and fear. President Aleksandar Vučić and his regime have built a sophisticated and centralized system of information control that serves the interests of power rather than those of the public. Pro-government media have become powerful tools for manipulating public opinion, attacking political opponents, and covering up government corruption and failures. Meanwhile, independent media face constant pressure, threats, discrediting campaigns, and economic isolation. This alarming reality has been reflected in international reports, which have consistently rated press freedom in Serbia in a deeply negative light.

Since Vučić’s rise to power, as Minister of Propaganda under war criminal Slobodan Milošević and later as Prime Minister and President, his approach to the media has been deliberate and systematic. National media, particularly wide-reaching television stations such as RTS, Pink, and Happy TV, along with numerous online portals like Informer, Alo, Kurir, and Srpski Telegraf, have become amplifiers of regime propaganda. Through controlled programming, orchestrated campaigns, and selective reporting, Vučić has crafted a one-sided narrative in which he is portrayed as Serbia’s savior, while any criticism is framed as an “attack on the state.”

These media outlets do not merely avoid questioning the government’s agenda, they actively engage in discrediting and stigmatizing political opponents, NGOs, independent journalists, and critical voices in society. Public attacks, planted interviews, and fake news have become a daily norm in Serbian media, spreading a distorted version of reality and undermining citizens’ ability to understand real developments in the country.

This dominance has been established through a combination of state subsidies for pro-government media, selective allocation of public advertising, financial and legal pressure on independent outlets, and the intimidation of critical journalists. This economic coercion has pushed many independent newsrooms toward financial crisis or closure, further reducing media pluralism and competition. As a result, access to balanced information is severely limited, while the majority of citizens are daily exposed to a narrow and manipulated version of reality.

Media outlets that dare to report critically on the government – such as N1, Nova, Danas, KRIK, BIRN, and CINS – are subjected to ongoing smear campaigns. Journalists are labeled as “traitors,” “foreign agents,” or “servants of Western agendas” in an effort to delegitimize them and alienate them from the public.

The pressure is not just verbal. Some journalists have faced physical threats, illegal surveillance, criminal charges, and cyberattacks. In this hostile climate, many have been forced to leave the country or engage in self-censorship, making it increasingly difficult to practice journalism independently and ethically, undermining free journalism itself.

In its 2025 report, the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) once again ranked Serbia among the worst-performing countries in terms of press freedom. RSF directly criticized how Vučić’s regime has created an environment where “pluralism is merely formal, while reality is dominated by one-sided narratives controlled by the authorities.”

The report highlights the worsening working conditions for critical journalists, the spread of disinformation by pro-government media, and the lack of transparency in media ownership and funding. According to RSF, Serbia has created a “climate of fear and distrust,” which is deeply harmful to functional democracy and the rule of law.

Vučić’s strategy to maintain power does not rely solely on media control but also on the emotional manipulation of the public. In daily reporting by regime-aligned media, Serbia is portrayed as a nation surrounded by internal and external enemies seeking to destabilize the state. Within this atmosphere, citizens are “bombarded” daily with news depicting the opposition as incompetent, protests as orchestrated by foreign actors, and any criticism of Vučić as an attempted coup. This propaganda model is reminiscent of Eastern authoritarian regimes and deepens societal divisions, fueling nationalism, fear, and hatred, especially toward neighboring countries in the region.

Independent analyses indicate that around 80 percent of the population receives information exclusively from pro-government media, exposing them to narratives crafted to boost regime popularity and create a sense of encirclement by “external enemies” such as the European Union, the United States, or Kosova.

Important international events, especially those related to Kosova, are framed as coordinated attacks against the president and the “Serbian nation.” This strategy exploits nationalist sentiments and fear to consolidate an unshakable electoral base while obstructing a rational and critical public discourse.

This information control has become a key tool of Vučić’s authoritarian power and a decisive factor in maintaining his support, despite the serious socio-economic problems and institutional corruption gripping the country.

Beyond domestic control, pro-government media in Serbia also serve as instruments of propaganda against Kosova, particularly during political crises or tensions in the north. Regime-linked portals and TV stations publish dehumanizing and propagandistic content, distorting developments in Pristina and legitimizing Serbia’s interference in Kosova’s internal affairs.

During the terrorist attack in Banjska in September 2023, led by terrorism suspect Milan Radoičić, which resulted in the death of Kosova Police Sergeant, hero Afrim Bunjaku, these media portrayed the armed Serbian groups as “defenders of the people” and Kosova institutions as “repressive.” These reports, supported by narratives from the Serbian Security and Intelligence Agency and parallel structures in the north, were used to manipulate public opinion domestically and internationally, reflecting a coordinated disinformation campaign aligned with the rhetoric of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Russian Patriarchate.

Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbia is no longer a hybrid democracy; it has slid into full authoritarianism, where the media no longer act as watchdogs of power but as its collaborators. They have become weapons against internal opponents and neighbors, particularly against Kosova.

If this trend continues, the threat will extend not only to Serbian journalists and citizens but to the stability of the entire region. Free and impartial information is essential to democracy and peace, and thus Europe and international partners must stop tolerating Vučić’s regime through diplomatic silence. /The Balkan Report/