"Brent Sadler, a seasoned journalist who reported as a CNN reporter from wars in Chad, Israel, and the Falkland Islands. However, the 75-year-old Belgrade-based journalist is now involved in a very different struggle, namely the one surrounding the Serbian media market. Sadler has been officially appointed Chief News Executive of the Adria News Network (ANN), a new structure within the Netherlands-registered media and telecommunications group United Group (UG)."
"All of them are known for their critical stance toward the government in Belgrade, that is, toward authoritarian President Aleksandar Vucic. Critics accuse Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of monopolizing the Serbian state, distributing jobs according to party favoritism, establishing a system of corruption, and manipulating elections."
"While the media group kept N1 and Nova S, it sold its Serbian telecom assets, including the Serbian cable provider SBB and also handed over all sports rights to state-owned Telekom. As a result, their biggest competitor at the time became the TV sports monopoly not just in Serbia but also in neighboring countries. Remarkably, Telekom Serbia is considered Vucic's central instrument for dominance in the media market."
Brent Sadler, a 75-year-old journalist with extensive experience covering international conflicts, has been appointed Chief News Executive of Adria News Network (ANN), a division of United Group (UG). He oversees a dozen media outlets across former Yugoslavia, including Serbian television stations N1 and Nova S, newspaper Danas, and magazine Radar. These outlets are known for their critical coverage of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his government, which faces accusations of authoritarianism, corruption, and election manipulation. During Serbia's 2024 student protests demanding new elections, these media outlets became crucial platforms for dissenting voices. However, UG's position has weakened after selling Serbian telecom assets and sports rights to state-owned Telekom Serbia, which is viewed as Vucic's primary instrument for media market control.
#serbian-media-freedom #government-pressure-and-authoritarianism #media-ownership-and-consolidation #vucic-administration-control
Read at www.dw.com
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