Serbia media monitoring begins amid RTS coverage concerns

The Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) has officially commenced monitoring electronic media content for the upcoming election campaign scheduled for October 25. The monitoring process, which began on September 10, will cover the public broadcaster RTS, Radio-televizija Vojvodine, and several national providers including Pink, Prva, B92, Hepi, N1, Nova S, and K1. However, REM noted that due to the current absence of an elected president and deputy president of its Council, the body cannot issue formal decisions regarding any identified irregularities until those leadership positions are filled.

Simultaneously, concerns regarding media impartiality at the public broadcaster RTS have surfaced. Quantitative analysis by the Bureau for Social Research (BIRODI) indicates a significant disparity in media coverage between September 11 and 13. During this period, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić received 178 seconds of coverage on RTS 1, while the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) received 14 seconds. In contrast, the Studentska lista received no airtime on RTS 1 during that window. While RTS editors maintain that political invitations are based on 'electoral potential' and public opinion research, critics argue the broadcaster fails to uphold its status as a public service by disproportionately favoring established authorities.