Media monitoring reveals a systemic rise in anti-Western narratives
In 2025, Serbian media coverage doubled down on anti-Western messaging, casting the European Union in an especially harsh light, while portraying Russia, China, and the United States largely positively. The shift in the political context in the United States quickly resonated within domestic reporting, whereas the EU remained a constant target of negative and manipulative content. President Aleksandar Vučić, above all others, played a central role in shaping these narratives; his strong media presence directly shaped how international actors were portrayed, with domestic outlets, rather than external sources, serving as the main drivers of manipulative messaging.
In retrospect, Serbian media systematically and consistently nurtured anti-Western narratives. Even after 2022, the volume of such content did not decline, confirming that anti-Western narratives have become a normalized and long-standing feature of the media environment Media monitoring conducted from January to October 2025 shows that this trend not only continues but deepens, especially regarding the European Union.
During the first ten months of 2025, the most prominent foreign actors in Serbian media were the United States and Russia, both portrayed predominantly positively. China appeared significantly less frequently but is reported on almost exclusively in an affirmative manner. In contrast, the European Union and NATO remained central targets of negative reporting.
Until Donald Trump’s re-election as U.S. President, domestic media portrayed all key Western actors, the EU, NATO and the U.S.predominantly negatively. However, CRTA’s media monitoring results indicate a dramatic shift: following Trump’s return to the White House, negative tones toward the U.S. and NATO rapidly decline, while the EU becomes the primary target of negative narratives. At the same time, the U.S. records the most substantial increase in positive reporting, becoming one of the key developments in the current media narrative.
Nevertheless, all foreign actors were overshadowed by President Aleksandar Vučić, who played a central role in shaping the media environment, appearing in as many as 366 live television interventions between January and November. Monitoring shows that whenever Vučić is quoted, reporting on foreign actors follows a clear pattern: China, Russia, and the U.S. are presented positively, while the EU is framed predominantly negatively. This pattern confirms that the President’s constant presence directly influences how international relations are framed in the media.
An analysis of manipulative narratives reveals a further deepening of these trends. Nearly one-third of all identified manipulations in 2025 target the EU with negative framing. Around one-fifth positively report on Russia, while manipulations concerning the U.S. are distributed evenly between positive and negative content. Compared to the previous year, there is a marked rise in manipulations targeting the EU, as well as an increase in positive narratives about the U.S., while negative ones decline. Notably, monitoring confirms that domestic media and not foreign actors, are the most frequent source of manipulative narratives.
The tone of manipulative media content, examined across thematic areas, reveals a consistent pattern: China is portrayed exclusively positively, Russia almost entirely affirmatively, and the U.S. partially positively, in line with the shifting political context. The European Union and NATO remain the primary targets of negative manipulation, reinforcing the conclusion that manipulative narratives are used as instruments of political communication.
The preferential treatment of foreign actors linked by populist or authoritarian governance, along with the sharp positioning of the EU as a problematic actor, aligns with the political interests and communication needs of the ruling majority, demonstrating just how domestic politics directly shapes the media framing of international relations.
Methodology:
The research covers central news programs and press review segments within morning shows on national television channels (RTS1, Pink, Prva, and Happy). During the period from January 1 to October 31, 2025, a total of 11,250 media items were analyzed, with a focus on political, military, economic, and social topics, the wars in the former Yugoslavia, culture, human rights, and healthcare.
The full report is available below or by clicking here.
