In Novi Sad, 15 people died in a falling canopy and nothing was funny anymore. Resignations were forced, and general paralysis could be seen in the example of the Day of Mourning - one in Serbia, three in Vojvodina. Lack of empathy was shown by the prime minister, who tried to measure the scale of the tragedy by the death of 15, 155, or 15000 people. Beaters were sent to attack the students, and RTS unhesitatingly reported accusations that they were mercenaries. However, the exact opposite happened, as the wave of discontent only grew stronger. That is why student protests and plenums will mark the end of this year and the welcome of a new one, between fear and hope, which has emerged, just like empathy and solidarity
This year's review television programs in Serbia to the greatest extent acts as a chronicle of current media manipulations authorities. In that respect, it would not have differed much from the previous editions if at least three phenomena had not occurred. One is in the nature of the human psyche, and it concerns the limited capacity of our emotional "container".
The general impression we felt is aggressive apathy, a kind of overexcitement, with the feeling that any kind of social change is impossible. Another key factor is the fall of the canopy at the Railway Station in Novi Sad, killing 15 people. Apparently, the death of these people was a direct result of corruption, negligence and unprofessional work.
This led us to the third social phenomenon, the peaceful protests of students throughout Serbia and the blockade of most faculties. At the end of this year, students, part of high school students, educators, lawyers and farmers were simultaneously in the protests. The common content of their dissatisfaction is unfulfilled promises and agreements that the Government ignores, so they turn to the competent institutions for a request to perform their legally defined function.
You notice that in this picture of social events, the actors ignore the President of Serbia, considering him incompetent for their problems. In this picture, hands on heart, there is not even the local opposition, which at best currently has the task of delivering the demands of citizens and their organizations to the institutions. For the first time, a plenum is used as a form of decision-making, as a basic example of a proto-democracy in which there are no representatives or leaders. The future will show how this attempt to fundamentally change our society, to change the system that has led us to the dead end of leader populism on at least three occasions since the 1990s, will develop.
But now let's go back to the beginning of the year, in order to remember the rather muddy road of our media image. Not to be forgotten.
PRESIDENT'S DAY
Last year started symbolically with a fine of 15000 euros imposed on HRT by the regulatory body in Croatia for advertising socks during Lepa Brena's guest appearance in a popular TV program. Near the end of this year, Brena held an unprecedented number of well-attended concerts in Zagreb, the last of which she sang with a broken leg. Zagreb was surprised by the revival of "Jugonostalgia" through Brena's character and work.
This year we also got an extra day off after Christmas, the so-called President's Day, which I found out was non-working when I went to work in the morning on Monday. At the end of the year, the gift is even bigger and more beautiful, housing loans for students. Let's move forward.
The story of the introduction of mandatory military service appeared several times during the year. The president slept in the barracks, baked pancakes for the soldiers and complained that they couldn't even last a guard shift without mobile phones. Pink appeared camouflage pink, whether Željko Mitrović was demonstrating the operation of bomber drones or firing mortar shells with a bow and arrow.
A new custom was also introduced - a parade of tow trucks, trucks and tractors. An increasingly pronounced separation between Russia and America began. Especially on TV Pink and Happy and Informer. The performance "Lucifer" in the Odeon Theater was also created in that selection, and Pink was also given a theater stage, as an antidote to disobedient drama artists who often criticized the government.
A spectacular presentation of Serbia's development plan until 2027, called "Quantum Leap", was also held. Vučić played the role of a visionary, so to speak, our Elon Musk or Steve Jobs (because of the skateboard), while Dragana Kosjerina charmingly took us through pictures of flying taxis, the EXPO complex, the dolphinarium and the national stadium.
The beginning of the year was marked even today by the invisible doctor Nestorović, whose party "Mi" was born on Happy and died on Informer, when Nestorović refused to be the tip of the scales and support SNS. Then "We" split into "The Real We" and only "We".
WHAT ELSE IS THERE
The old new mayor Šapić patented the billboard campaign - instead of concrete results, he held conferences without journalists in front of the billboard. Today we have concrete results, the famous roundabouts with traffic lights (only red and yellow), with Nemanjić blue buses, a dynamic and canceled timetable with the announcement of free transport and the Belgrade Security Service. Wow.
The constituent session of the Assembly of Serbia was held, where we learned that Nada Matsura is not the oldest in the convocation. Since then, the discussion in the Assembly is mostly blocked and the budget is adopted in 16 minutes without discussion. The official mouthpiece of the authorities is Informer TV, now with a regional frequency.
The shameful acquittal of the accused for the murder of Slavko Ćuruvija was also brought, and I once again came to work for nothing, because the new owner of "S medije" terminated the contract on the production of the morning program. Today, one of the freed, Ratko Romić, is seeking compensation from the state, and I don't know who we should ask the 25-year-old question - "Who killed Slavko Ćuruvija?"
In the international report on the monitoring of media pluralism in Serbia, we did not get the green light for the areas of control, ownership, and profit, but they are practically a gray area of our society.
Serbia was divided on another basis. During the Eurovision song contest, fans of Breskvica ("Eagle's Nest") and Tejadora ("Ramonda") got bloodied, but nobody remembers that today.
Bad memories were systematically encouraged in our media by reviewing all the events before Vučić and the SNS government. The 5th of March and the XNUMXth of October are acts of foreign services, the fall of Milošević is "treason", and the bottom is the public repentance of Lečić in front of Šešelj that Sloba was extradited to The Hague. Djindjic, as they say today, was "killed by his own men", and the unveiling of Slobin's bust in Moscow was attended by the Night Wolves.
During the presidential elections in Russia, voters in Belgrade gave Putin the lowest support in the world. Putin won only three percent of the votes in Serbia, in contrast to Croatia, where he received 15 percent, or Greece, where he received an over half majority.
The police began an unsuccessful search for the two-year-old girl Danka Ilić, with an incredibly shameful media hunt for her parents and relatives, insulting the Vlach minority, leaking information from the police, and the death of one of the suspects in custody, apparently from a beating. We have heard many "easy solutions", but the search is still without results.
"WAR LIVE"
Every day, at least two televisions (Vesti and Happy) broadcast multi-hour shows of the "War Live" format, where retired military personnel, security guards and "connoisseurs of the situation" cheer for the Russians, admire the power of weapons and count the corpses in Ukraine and Gaza. Without limits and without responsibility, the complete absence of empathy, death kibiers at a distance.
That's how we marked 25 years since the RTS bombing, we reminded that it was a crime, but we did not get an answer to the question from the "Why" monument, which was addressed to those who threw the bombs, but also to those who did not evacuate people from the building. As a rule, we forget to mention this second part of the question, especially if a luxury hotel will be built there, as well as on the site of the General Staff.
Among the parliamentary performances in Serbia, I would like to mention the three-hour exposé of Prime Minister Vučević, as the new head of the SNS and the head of a mega-government of 31 ministers, two of whom resigned by the end of the year after the death of 15 people in Novi Sad.
On the international level, it is certainly the departure of Vučić to New York, where he spoke on the occasion of the adoption of the Declaration on Genocide. First, a prayer service was held in Belgrade for the success of the mission, so he wrapped himself in the flag of Serbia and counted our and other people's dead. We failed, but we won, one nation, one leader, one Parliament.
Another local election cycle followed, and between the boycott and ODIHR recommendations, the opportunity for victories in Niš, Belgrade and Novi Sad was missed, Milica Zavetnica ended up as a minister in the government, and Boško Obradović as the owner of the "Jelički vrt" tavern. A network of government call centers was discovered in big cities, and we found out who, if you'll excuse me, is in charge of screwing around in prisons, and who in Dorćol.
The police dealt with a list of undesirable persons ranging from NGO activists to Severina and Feđa Štukan. Vulin took a wreath to Stalin's grave, and Dacic and the BIA, preoccupied with monitoring political opponents and heckling journalists and journalists, did not notice the Islamist theorists who nearly killed a gendarme with a crossbow in the center of Belgrade.
MAKING MONEY THROUGH MARKETING
The televised event of global proportions was the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris. All the defenders of Serbia came forward, the fee for RTS was increased by 50 rsd, and money was spent on advertising the "Gates of Triumph" show. That's why nobody is surprised today when we broadcast commercials on television about the start of EXPO 2027. We started to make money through marketing on time.
Siniša Pavić and Bora Đorđević died, people who created a TV show or a song for almost every life situation in Serbia.
The informer once again had a spectacular celebration under the tent in Rosići, all with Šešelj, Dijana Hrkalović with nanogica and Krlet, it came to him as a guest of honor.
During that time, Bajaga spectacularly marked 40 years of work with the Instructors with a concert at Usce. Speaking of round numbers, Pink has marked 30 years of existence, or 30 years of a stilted media course, always with the government. An admirable jubilee, 100 years of existence, was marked by Radio Belgrade. A house with a glorious past, but perhaps a vague vision of the future. Insider, first as a production, and then for three years as a TV channel, has been running for 20 years. If there is a complete antithesis to Pink, it is this group of professionals who can without exaggeration say that they are able to ask the right questions of every government in this country. A very high price has been paid for that, because then you resent all the formal or informal centers of power. It is broadcast on both bloody cable networks, so it is also endemic.
Mića Jovanović Megatrend repeated the miracle of the Resurrection of his higher education institution, because in the same week he lost and then got a work license again from the Ministry. Slavica Đ.D. she justified the case with a "procedural error", so I think that is perhaps the most accurate description of her ministerial work. This will be confirmed at the end of the year during faculty blockades, strikes by educators and high school students. Minister with a procedural error, of course. Minister Toma Momirović made a similar mistake due to his blasphemy with Parisier, the two-egg theory and cheap hummus. Politics comes in by word of mouth, but it can also take over. Toma resigned and then teleported to an unknown location.
DOUBLE CROWN
Lithium was a big TV topic for endless discussions, from Nedeljica to Germany, from Scholz to Macron to Rio Tinto and the protests of citizens unaware of the chance that lithium exploitation offers us. The president did not seem to convince the citizens, but we became a member of the famous Battery Alliance, whatever it was, good for us.
Trump won the election, Pink's reporter saw America, and there was celebration from Informer to Dodik's headquarters. It was called "Trampe Serbina" and a "golden age" was announced. Vučić spoke with Trump, and Elon Musk also eavesdropped, we were 10th to 15th in line for the title, which caused despair and jealousy in the region.
By the end of the year, we further distanced ourselves from Putin, Vulin went to BRICS, and now it's okay to love America again, only that it announced sanctions for NIS. In Syria, the Islamists overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Moscow, they say this is a consequence of the loss of support from Russia and Iran, which we also consider protectors and allies.
From communal topics, I would like to remind you about Novi Sad pearls, which no one has managed to surpass. Elektroprivreda Vojvodina has been sending out-of-pocket bills to users, creating chaos and huge crowds, which they say will be solved by e-payment. Pensioners are desperate but persistent. Another, even more bizarre communal gaffe is the arrest of the director of the City Transport Company in Novi Sad for his involvement in smuggling several tons of cocaine from Ecuador. He is also a member of the SNS, but also a member of the famous Balkan cartel. Double crown!
FLAT EARTH
Then 15 people died in Novi Sad when a canopy fell and nothing was funny anymore. Resignations were forced, and general paralysis could be seen in the example of the Day of Mourning - one in Serbia, three in Vojvodina. Lack of empathy was shown by the prime minister, who tried to measure the scale of the tragedy by the death of 15, 155, or 15000 people. Beaters were sent to attack the students, and RTS unhesitatingly reported accusations that they were mercenaries. However, the opposite happened, as the wave of discontent only grew stronger. That's why student protests and plenums will mark the end of this year and welcome a new one, between fear and hope, which has emerged, just like empathy and solidarity.
Finally, I would just like to remind you of the event called "The Final Experiment". These days, the American pastor Will Duffy addressed 24 addresses of the world's most famous flat earthers and 24 supporters of the theory that the earth is round. They have millions of followers on their channels, blogs and social media accounts. Only three responded, and Duffy took them on a free trip to Antarctica (South Pole). They practically verified that the Sun does not go around the Earth, and only some of the flat-earth community admitted that their theories were not good. Surprisingly, they still haven't completely given up on the idea that the Earth is flat, they just have to come up with a new explanation. Those who did not agree to see for themselves on the spot, accused their colleagues of selling themselves for 37000 euros, which is how much the experiment cost per person. I am afraid that today we have a similar situation in Serbia, where despite the harsh consequences of this government, people still want to believe that Serbia revolves around Vučić.
That flat Earth unfortunately exists almost exclusively in his daily TV appearances.
Less than two days of blockade - that's how long it took to see how weak and powerless the public media service is, both from the outside and from the inside. At the moment of writing this text, it is the eighth day of the blockade, and the sixth that RTS is not broadcasting its program. They also seem to be facing a strike inside the house. And the essence of blocking RTS is not in what it publishes, but in what it keeps silent
In the months after the fall of the canopy in Novi Sad, the flames of rebellion spread throughout Serbia. The first protests started in Novi Sad right after the tragedy. The authorities responded with arrests, police cordons and intimidation, but instead of calming down the protesters, new protests followed.
The rector of the University of Belgrade, Vladan Đokić, has been the target of top state officials and regime tabloids for months, who label him as an insidious instigator of student protests, an opportunist, "the face of evil" and "the leader of the criminal octopus." How and why a rector became "state enemy number one"
"I'm standing in the cordon, and my daughter is shouting at me 'aw, aw, killers'. What should I do? If they ordered me - I would throw down my baton and bulletproof vest and stand on the side of my child," a police officer from the south of Serbia, who works as needed in the Belgrade Police Brigade, told "Vreme"
The recent formation of the Đura Macuta government is part of the regime's revenge and cynicism. This can be seen most in the "black troika" of new ministers appointed to deal with the parts of society that are the leaders and symbols of the big rebellion that lasted for several months, the cause of which was the fall of the canopy in Novi Sad, which claimed 16 human lives. Education, universities, unsolicited media and parts of the judiciary that refuse to listen to orders, either publicly, with announcements, or hiding behind legal procedures, should be dismantled. Those who will have no problem doing everything they are told, even reinforcing the orders with their own inventions, are chosen for this.
RTS is blocked, universities do not work, and threats, insults and calls to the prosecutor's office and the police to arrest blockers, rioters and terrorists are pouring out from the top of the government. The Serbian state has turned into a farce
Anyone who condemns the regime's targeting of people from the media, the non-governmental sector, the opposition and universities, must not agree to this targeting of RTS editors and journalists either.
The government of Đur Mazut is "counter-revolutionary", focused on retaliation and state and street violence against opponents of the regime
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