As part of its program for fighting disinformation and false news, which cross the borders quickly in the Balkans and very soon can be seen in the media of another state and sometimes in another language, Meta.mk has been reporting regularly about current affairs at similar services for checking facts and the fight against disinformation in the region i.e. starting from Croatia in the North and encompassing Greece in the South.
The Serbian service for fighting disinformation and false news, raskrikavanje.rs took on a difficult subject of government’s support for Serbian tabloids that publish disinformation and false news. As the service informs, four Serbian tabloids where raskrinkavanje has found 950 false news published on their front pages
have received more than 600.000 euros through government tenders.
According to the public procurement registry “Media Network”, the company that owns “Srpski telegraf” has won at least 16 tenders last year and has signed contracts worth millions. Through public procurement of advertising and marketing to a number of state institutions and local municipalities, in 2019 this company has received around 28 million dinars (around 240.000 euros). The biggest contracts were concluded with the Ministry of Economy, Elektroprivreda, the Customs, the City of Novi Sad and the Business registers Agency.
Both “Kurir” and “Informer” have been cooperating with the government, but it wasn’t that profitable as that of other tabloids. Kurir has earned less than 13 million dinars (around 110.00 euros) while “Insajder Doo”, “Informer’s publisher, has signed contracts woth around 60.000 euros with Elektroprivreda Srbija, the City of Kikinda, the State Lotary and Serbia’s Tourist organization.
