N1 confirms departure of 10 journalists

N1's newsroom has confirmed that ten of its journalists have handed in their resignations, and expressed regret at their colleagues' decision. The broadcaster named those leaving as Adam Santovac, Žaklina Tatalović, Žana Bulajić, Dimitrije Đurić, Ana Novaković, Danica Vučenić, Mia Bjelogrlić, Sanja Kosović, Ksenija Pavkov and Nataša Miljković.

In its statement the newsroom paid tribute to the departed colleagues and recalled the shared work and challenges the team went through over the years.

Staff say departure linked to wider editorial pressure

“We wish them all the best, all the luck and we say – thank you for everything we did. Together. We have so much behind us, great investigative stories, numerous awards, hiking across Serbia, 24 hours of continuous live programming, which practically no television station similar to ours and with our capacities has done in history. Together we survived fires, floods, the pandemic, tear gas, threats, attacks, pressures, recognitions, praises and much more. Good and bad. It was an honor to share all that with you,” the newsroom said, expressing gratitude for the joint work.

The newsroom additionally described the voluntary departures as especially worrying given the moment in which they occurred, and reiterated its commitment to editorial principles. “We continue our journey separately. This makes our struggle more difficult, but we will not give up the professional and moral principles that have always guided us. We promise the public our dedication to the truth, and to our colleagues, dear people, we say, thank you and see you soon in the field,” the statement said.

The resignations come amid pressure reported at the editorial office of the portal Nova.rs, which is part of the same media group as the broadcaster. Staff there are said to be resisting the imposition of a new editor-in-chief, and colleagues fear this would amount to a step toward stifling independent journalism.

Photo: press material from the event