Serbian BIRODI Accuses Government Media of Defamation Over Election Monitoring

BIRODI Serbian media election monitoring NED ODIHR

The Biro za društvena istraživanja (BIRODI) said that provladini (pro‑government) media in Serbia label the organization and publish false information because the authorities do not want free and fair elections. The agency noted that identical or very similar articles appeared in several such outlets, presenting inaccurate data about its work and financing. BIRODI’s executive director is portrayed as “extremely anti‑Serbian” without any supporting evidence.

BIRODI listed its main donors since 2012 as the National Endowment for Democracy, the European Endowment for Democracy and the Open Society Foundation. It recalled that in 2012 pro‑SNS media regularly attended its press conferences, reported its monitoring results and did not dispute its methodology at that time. Recent monitoring reports now point to problems with media and election integrity, a view also echoed by the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). BIRODI called on the Serbian Ministry of Information and the OSCE/ODIHR to examine the case to protect media pluralism and the work of domestic election observers.

Entities: Biro za društvena istraživanja (BIRODI) · Elfeta Veseli · European Endowment for Democracy · Goran Selak · National Endowment for Democracy · Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE) – Office for Democr. · Serbian government · Slobodan Stojanović · Vedran Škobić · Zenica Prison

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 3 SOURCES] In 2012, pro‑SNS media attended BIRODI press conferences, reported its monitoring and cited its findings, and the methodology was not disputed then. (BIRODI press release)
[● 3 SOURCES] Since 2012, BIRODI’s main donors have been the National Endowment for Democracy, the European Endowment for Democracy and the Open Society Foundation. (BIRODI press release)
[● 3 SOURCES] BIRODI says provladini media label the organization and publish false information because the government does not want free and fair elections. (BIRODI press release)
[● 3 SOURCES] Labeling and discrediting election observers threatens an environment where observers can work freely and inform the public. (BIRODI press release)
[● 3 SOURCES] Identical or very similar content appeared in multiple provladini media outlets, portraying BIRODI inaccurately. (BIRODI press release)
[● 3 SOURCES] BIRODI urges the Serbian Ministry of Information and the OSCE/ODIHR to investigate the case to protect media pluralism and election observers. (BIRODI press release)
[● 3 SOURCES] BIRODI’s executive director is described as known for “extremely anti‑Serbian” views without factual basis. (BIRODI press release)
[● 3 SOURCES] Recent monitoring findings point to problems with media and election integrity, a view also highlighted by ODIHR. (BIRODI press release)