{"id":176760,"date":"2025-05-03T14:02:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T12:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=176760"},"modified":"2025-05-03T14:02:07","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T12:02:07","slug":"world-press-freedom-day-media-situation-in-serbia-worsening-global-outlook-declared-very-serious-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/world-press-freedom-day-media-situation-in-serbia-worsening-global-outlook-declared-very-serious-for-the-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: Media situation in Serbia worsening, global outlook declared \u201cVERY SERIOUS\u201d for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As the world marks <strong>WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY<\/strong> on May 3, alarming new data reveals a deepening crisis in media freedom \u2014 both in Serbia and across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>JOURNALISTS&#8217; ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA (UNS)<\/strong> issued a public proclamation highlighting the deteriorating status of journalists in the country. Among its demands, UNS called on <strong>STATE AUTHORITIES TO EFFICIENTLY INVESTIGATE ALL THREATS<\/strong> made against journalists and media workers and to ensure <strong>STRONG INSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION<\/strong> from pressure by public officials, media owners, and other powerful actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a symbolic call to action, the association invited journalists and media professionals to read the proclamation aloud or display it across <strong>PRINT, ONLINE, AND BROADCAST PLATFORMS BETWEEN 11:55 AM AND 12:00 PM<\/strong> on May 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the <strong>2025 World Press Freedom Index<\/strong> published by <strong>REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS (RSF)<\/strong>, Serbia is ranked <strong>96th out of 180 countries<\/strong> \u2014 an improvement of two spots compared to 2024. However, experts warn the advancement is <strong>MISLEADING<\/strong>, as it largely stems from <strong>DECLINING SCORES IN OTHER COUNTRIES<\/strong>, rather than genuine improvements in Serbia. RSF noted that Serbia\u2019s <strong>POLITICAL INDICATORS HAVE DETERIORATED<\/strong>, and concerns remain over mounting pressure on the press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pavol Szalai, head of RSF\u2019s EU and Balkans desk, described Serbia\u2019s improved ranking as an <strong>&#8220;ILLUSION,&#8221;<\/strong> emphasizing that the country&#8217;s media environment continues to suffer from institutional weaknesses and political interference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\">FIND OUT MORE: <\/mark><\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fserbiantimes%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0y3yb3mgmMmRfd8sSnQXT4GMBAQ2WYhvJ7x66jBdUvLfsBBLySw3EbNfv13UeX8gdl&#038;show_text=true&#038;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"576\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>Most strikingly, <strong>FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY<\/strong>, RSF\u2019s global index categorizes the overall <strong>STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM WORLDWIDE AS A &#8220;VERY SERIOUS SITUATION&#8221;<\/strong> \u2014 the lowest possible classification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While <strong>PHYSICAL ATTACKS<\/strong> against journalists remain the most visible violations, RSF warns of increasingly <strong>SUBTLE AND SYSTEMIC ECONOMIC PRESSURES<\/strong>, which threaten journalistic independence just as severely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>World Press Freedom Day, established by the <strong>UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY<\/strong>, serves as a reminder of governments\u2019 responsibility to uphold <strong>FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION<\/strong>, as enshrined in <strong>ARTICLE 19 OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><mark style=\"background-color:#FFFFFF;color:#d21414\" class=\"has-inline-color\">MORE TOPICS:<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/column-kovacevic-on-the-police-batons-revolution-and-its-children\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">COLUMN, KOVA\u010cEVI\u0106: On the police, batons, revolution and its children\u2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/i-eat-what-i-have-when-i-have-it-grandma-jela-lives-alone-in-the-mountains-without-electricity-or-water-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">\u201cI EAT WHAT I HAVE, WHEN I HAVE IT\u201d: Grandma Jela lives alone in the mountains, without electricity or water! (VIDEO)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/freedoms-will-be-defended-student-accused-of-attacking-the-dean-of-the-faculty-of-physical-education-and-sport-released-from-custody-video\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">FREEDOMS WILL BE DEFENDED: Student accused of attacking the dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport released from custody! (VIDEO)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/all-members-of-our-team-won-medals-six-medals-for-serbia-at-the-balkan-mathematical-olympiad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">ALL MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM WON MEDALS: Six medals for Serbia at the Balkan Mathematical Olympiad!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/council-of-europe-commissioner-serbia-must-quickly-complete-the-investigation-into-the-use-of-the-sound-cannon-and-identify-the-perpetrators\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">COUNCIL OF EUROPE COMMISSIONER: Serbia must quickly complete the investigation into the use of the sound cannon and identify the perpetrators!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong><strong>:&nbsp;<\/strong>RTS<strong>&nbsp;Foto<\/strong>: Telegram<br><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the world marks WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY on May 3, alarming new data reveals a deepening crisis in media freedom \u2014 both in Serbia and across the globe. The JOURNALISTS&#8217; ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA (UNS) issued a public proclamation highlighting the deteriorating status of journalists in the country. Among its demands, UNS called on STATE [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2169,"featured_media":176761,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1888,1959,4891,3537,1890,113],"class_list":["post-176760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking","tag-mediji","tag-novinari","tag-novinarstvo","tag-rts","tag-sloboda-medija","tag-srbija","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Serbiantimes.info EN","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176760"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176782,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176760\/revisions\/176782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}