BIRODI: Serbia’s President consumed 2 days & 2 hours of air time in four months

ALEKSANDAR VUČIĆ
Tanjug/Strahinja Aćimović

According to a media watchdog's report on Wednesday, Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's President, consumed 50 hours of air time on five TV channels with national frequency and N1 from last December through April 2021.

The report comes amid the inter-party dialogue between the ruling coalition led by Vucic and the opposition parties, mediated by the European Parliament (EP) members. Equal access to media for all political players in the country, heading to presidential, local and most probably early general elections in spring of 2022, tops the agenda.

The issue is crucial for the opposition politicians who boycotted the 2020 vote primarily due to the lack of media freedom in Serbia, warned about by almost all European institutions and local and international journalists organisations.

The Bureau for Social Investigation (BIRODI) data published on Wednesday covered the news programmes on state RTS, pro-regime Pink, Happy, Prva and B92 TVs and United Media’s N1 in the fourth months period.

Vucic was presented positively in 85 percent of the appearances, mostly on Pink TV, where he had 21 and a half hours of those 50.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic followed him with eight hours of air time and a 67 percent positive presentation.

BIRODI did not publish data about the opposition politicians presence in the monitored period.