Sarajevo, August 20, 2026 – The Steering Committee of the BH Journalists Association expresses concern over the dismissal of Amir Zukić from the position of Director of N1 Television Bosnia and Herzegovina, which followed immediately after Portugal’s Alpac Capital took over ownership and management of the Adria News media corporation.

The Steering Committee of BH Journalists emphasizes that a change of ownership is a legitimate business decision which, when it comes to media outlets, must not jeopardize their editorial independence, professional standards, and the right of journalists to freely create and edit media content without pressure. At the same time, media ownership changes must be transparent to the public, and capital interests must under no circumstances compromise the citizens’ right to truthful, professional, and impartial reporting.

It is particularly concerning that the director’s dismissal at N1 in Bosnia and Herzegovina comes on the heels of dismissals at other Adria News media outlets in Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, and after the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Balkan Free Media Initiative, and Article 19 Europe called for an urgent regulatory review of the transaction and warned of risks to media pluralism, ownership transparency, and editorial independence.

The Steering Committee of BH Journalists therefore demands clear and public guarantees from the new owner and management of N1 in Bosnia and Herzegovina that:

• Editorial policy and content selection will remain independent of ownership and business interests;
• Journalists and editors will have professional autonomy in creating, selecting, and editing content;
• Impartiality, objectivity, and adherence to professional journalistic standards will be ensured;
• Journalists will be protected from political, economic, and other pressures that could impact their professional work;
• The public will be informed in a timely and transparent manner about management changes and their potential impact on the operations of N1 BiH.

BH Journalists believes that a change in media ownership cannot serve as a justification for compromising the editorial autonomy of the N1 newsroom in Sarajevo. Over the years, it has established significant professional credibility and public trust in Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving as a outlet that nurtured information pluralism, diversity of opinion, and work in the public interest. In this context, we strongly emphasize that the business and potential political interests of Adria News’ new owners must remain clearly separated from news programming editorial decisions and journalistic work.

The Steering Committee of the BH Journalists Association will continue to monitor the situation at N1 BiH and expects concrete guarantees from the new owner that this media outlet will maintain its professional standards, editorial independence, and impartiality in informing the public.

Steering Committee of the BH Journalists Association / Free Media Help Line