N1 will continue asking difficult questions to both the authorities and the opposition, maintaining its critical approach in the public interest, N1 Belgrade News Director Jugoslav Cosic said on Wednesday, adding that the station continues to face pressure.

Speaking in the Novi Dan morning show on N1’s fourth birthday, Cosic said that N1 TV represents the public interest and is a critical station. “We take a critical view,” Cosic said adding that N1 is not prepared to compromise over that principle.  

The N1 news director said the station has an editorial policy which everyone sticks to. “I have never seen a concrete example of a story we covered in which anyone could prove that we were not objective,” he said. “We won’t stop and we won’t change our editorial policy,” Cosic said.

He expressed the hope that N1 has succeeded in becoming an informative news channel. “I believe we have met the expectations of the audience as well as our investors who have been giving unconditional support,” he said.  

“That is the result of the fact that no one can dispute our professionalism. There were divisions earlier into the regime and independent media but there were no such brutal attacks on the media which are not close to the authorities,” he said and added that the number of threats on social media increases every time that top officials call N1 a “CIA TV” or “American television”.  

Cosic said that President Aleksandar Vucic is not showing any originality in his criticism of the independent media nor are the current authorities capable of accepting independent journalism. “That is not fair but despite that, N1 is fair and professional. We will fight for respect, demand respect. That is the practice in Europe and the entire civilized world – politicians have to raise tolerance levels and accept criticism,” he said  

N1 has been regularly inviting President Vucic and cabinet ministers to appear on the station but Vucic has been saying that he does not want to and the others are saying that they can’t. “It’s a simple strategy – I won’t come because I don’t like your programme and if I’m not there you aren’t objective, you’re an opposition TV. But they can’t avoid us at news conference, our reporters are there asking questions. Our news is objective and balanced and we are not responsible for the lack of balance in guest appearances,” he said.  

Cosic said N1 was not well liked by the opposition either with many of them being frustrated because they can’t order interviews and questions. “We have a simple approach – we ask everyone difficult questions, to both the authorities and opposition,” he said.