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Politics · Europe

RTV director resigns after Student List wins Serbia election

The departure at Vojvodina’s public broadcaster RTV makes the student list’s election victory consequential for media leadership and raises questions about the broadcaster’s editorial independence.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 3 independent reports from 4 outlets · Article text read from 1 of 3 reportsHow it's made

View timeline · 8 entries
This story was corrected on Oct 30, 2026 following an editorial review.
4 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Center OnlyL 0 · C 3 · R 0 · 1 unrated
Updat3 graphic: Serbia
Updat3 graphic · Map data: Natural Earth Natural Earth (public domain)

What happened

The brief

RTV director Ćaćić resigned after the student-led Student List won Serbia’s parliamentary election, according to National Herald India. Reuters and The Straits Times also reported the resignation following the election victory.

The National Herald India account places the departure amid longstanding demands from a journalists’ union for editorial independence and concerns about alleged pro-government coverage. Preliminary results published by Serbia’s Republic Electoral Commission gave the Student List 52.71% of votes counted, equivalent to 140 seats in the 250-member parliament.

The alliance led by Aleksandar Vučić secured 104 seats in the preliminary count. The account does not give a final certified result. RTV’s news bulletin opened on Monday with footage of celebrations after the Student List’s victory. The broadcaster had not shown those scenes the previous evening.

News anchor Goran Eror apologized to viewers, saying RTV had stayed silent, ignored events, reported them one-sidedly and failed to ask necessary questions. The resignation follows pressure over the broadcaster’s editorial independence, but the account does not state that the journalists’ union’s demands caused Ćaćić to resign.

It reports that the union had made longstanding demands and that the coverage was alleged to be pro-government. Those are presented as the context surrounding the departure, not as findings about the broadcaster’s conduct. Serbian media reports said RTV subsequently appointed Blažo Popović to the post.

The account does not specify the title attached to that appointment or describe any transition arrangements. The reported appointment is the only stated development concerning who would take over after Ćaćić’s resignation.

The report also mentions police intervention and clashes outside the building, without specifying who was involved, what prompted the intervention, or whether anyone was injured or arrested. It provides no further details on those events.

The election figures remain preliminary, while the broadcaster’s apology and the reported appointment mark separate developments following the Student List’s win.

Why it matters

  • The Student List’s preliminary victory gives a movement formed around demands for accountability after the Novi Sad station collapse a route to pursue those demands through elected institutions. RTV’s director resigning amid scrutiny of its protest coverage puts the broadcaster’s editorial independence and public credibility in focus for viewers and journalists, though the resignation alone does not establish that its coverage will change.

What to watch next

  • Whether Serbia's Republic Electoral Commission publishes final results confirming or changing the reported preliminary seat count.
  • Whether RTV confirms Blažo Popović's appointment and specifies the post he will hold.
  • Whether RTV addresses the journalists’ union’s longstanding demands concerning editorial independence.
  • Whether further details emerge about the reported police intervention and clashes outside the building.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
4 source articles · 4 unique outlets · 3 distinct reports
Outlet political mix: Center Only· 3 Center · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: Unknown 50% · Asia 25% · Other 25%
Outlet political mix
Center Only
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
3 outlets
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 1 unrated outlet is not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
4 unique outletsDominant coverage: Asia
Coverage imbalance
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among Center-rated outlets (3 of 3 rated sources); comparatively few Left or Right-rated outlets have published on the event.
How we measure coverage

One source is from a wire service (AP, Reuters, AFP or Bloomberg), whose reporting other outlets often republish.

How outlets' accounts compare

Updat3 does not yet have enough full reports to compare how outlets framed this story.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Radio Television Novi Sad, the predecessor of RTV, was founded.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. NATO struck Radio Television Serbia’s headquarters in Belgrade, killing 16 employees.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. On October 5, 2000, demonstrators opposing Milošević’s government entered and took control of the RTS headquarters in Belgrade during mass protests following the disputed presidential election.
    Background · from our historical context
  4. Serbia’s public-media system is governed by the Public Media Services Law, adopted in August 2014.
    Background · from our historical context
  5. The SNS-led coalition won Serbia’s parliamentary election, while opposition parties alleged irregularities.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Novi Sad railway station reopened after renovation work.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. Students at universities across Serbia began blocking faculties and demanding documents about the Novi Sad station reconstruction and accountability for the disaster.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  8. Student organizers demanded accountability and the release of documents related to the reconstruction project; by early 2025, their protests had expanded nationally and included demands for early elections.
    Background · from our historical context

How we got here

In November 2024, students began occupying university faculties and organizing protests after 16 people were killed when a concrete canopy collapsed at Novi Sad railway station on November 1.

Student organizers demanded accountability and the release of documents related to the reconstruction project; by early 2025, their protests had expanded nationally and included demands for early elections. Serbia’s public-media system is governed by the Public Media Services Law, adopted in August 2014.

Original sources

1 of 4 articles · Asia · Show all

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