Marko Vidojković does not laugh easily. He is one of those serious, cautious journalists who treat his profession almost as a calling. It’s a paradox, because that very seriousness thrusts him into the spotlight. His criticisms of the Serbian government come through the humor and sharp sarcasm of his podcast Good, Bad, Bad, which has drawn more than 100,000 listeners in a country of about 6.6 million people. The growing audience has also brought threats that appear daily, forcing him to leave the country for months with his wife, who notes the danger tied to his work. He points to associations of independent Serbian journalists and global writer organizations that total roughly 25,000 members, yet politics has largely closed ranks against him.
“The problem is that Serbia is not a democracy. It is one autocracy. That explains the war against critical journalism,” he says bluntly from Belgrade, where he has temporarily returned while awaiting results from early parliamentary elections. He expects to travel again in a few weeks. The 48-year-old historian, who has spent 23 years in the field, speaks with a measured calm that betrays the pressure he faces.
Data from the Association of Independent Journalists of Serbia shows a country taking a toll on independent reporting. This year, IJAS has documented 168 violations against journalists across the country, 31 more than in 2022. The offenses range from threats and physical attacks to various levels of repression. According to Reporters Without Borders, Serbia has slipped from position 54 in 2004 to 63 today, signaling a steady decline in media safety. Unlike some countries where the state underwrites risks faced by journalists, Serbia lacks solid protection against abuses, a shortcoming echoed by non-governmental organizations.
Persistent attacks
Numerous international reports consistently highlight the fragile state of free press in Serbia. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) condemned verbal pressure and persistent attacks from high officials while noting a trend of insufficient critical coverage of the government in the media. The European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee also criticized how government allies have used the media to gain unfair advantages, attacking political opponents and spreading disinformation.
Democracy’s objectivity suffers when reporting on political and economic power. Zoran Gavrilović, executive director of the Birodi Institute, notes that pluralism falters when a leader dominates television and feeds most information with little critical scrutiny. Audience trust dwindles as a result.
Veran Matic has been under protection for years and now sits on a permanent working group focused on journalist safety. When informants face pressure, many reporters choose to resign rather than endure hostility. The sector faces financial strain as people leave the field. The challenge is to build tools that shield journalists from threats and violence, but creating prevention mechanisms is difficult when the executive branch remains a central obstacle in the fight for safety.
Spyware
A separate problem is the judicial system, which processes threats against journalists at a glacial pace. Legal cases often reveal evolving abuses tied to rapid technological advances. Civil society voices join the concern. A recent Amnesty International report, published on November 28, highlighted two pro-democracy activists who faced state-backed spyware after openly criticizing the government. The investigation, conducted with the Share Foundation, Citizen Lab and Access Now, followed warnings from Apple about potential state-sponsored targeting. Forensic traces on the affected devices matched techniques previously used to deploy spyware known as Pegasus. AI explained that this pattern points to sophisticated, state-linked attackers.
The case underscores the need for stronger protections as digital tools empower more intrusive surveillance. Journalists and activists alike rely on robust safeguards to preserve privacy and press freedom in the face of mounting pressure from powerful interests.