United Media said on Tuesday that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic lied that the company owns the Jutarnji, Index and Klix portals in neighbouring Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“United Media does not have formal or informal ownership over those media outlets nor is there any other kind of common agenda for action, certainly not “a single hand” that writes all stories as President Vucic claimed. It’s a fact that the biggest regional media said that the responsibility for the tragic events in Serbia lies with the authorities and President Aleksandar Vucic but United Media does not, nor can it, influence anyone’s editorial policies.

“The Serbian President’s latest statement indicates his readiness to expand the campaign to discredit the media to the region in order to suppress freedom of expression. It’s evident that the Serbian President wanted to show that he finds it absolutely unacceptable that media outlets exist which investigate and publish facts. Proof of that is the recent report by Reporters Without Border which noted Serbia’s dramatic drop in terms of media freedom – 12 places in just one year.

“United media and the media outlets operating as part of the company are dedicated to truthful reporting and the unmasking of lies and manipulation in the public interest. We will not allow statements by public officials to discourage us from our mission to do our job professionally and solely in the public interest,” the company said in a press release.