Navratilova Turns RTV’s Apology Into a Sharp Rebuke of Fox News

Navratilova Turns RTV’s Apology Into a Sharp Rebuke of Fox News
Following the victory of the “Students’ List – Students Win” in Serbia’s parliamentary elections, signs of change appeared in the country’s media landscape, according to reports. One of the clearest moments came when Radio Television of Vojvodina host Goran Eror opened the broadcaster’s news program with an apology to viewers.

“Public broadcasting has not performed its function for many years,” Eror said. “Things were concealed, one eye was shut, information was presented one-sidedly and reporting was uncritical. The right questions were not asked—or were not asked at all—and for that we owe viewers an apology.”

The statement quickly spread beyond Serbia. British journalist Alex Taylor shared footage of the apology, describing it as evidence that “something special” was happening in the country. Martina Navratilova, the Czech-born tennis great, then reposted Taylor’s message and added a pointed comparison: “Fox would never do this.”

A separate account of the episode likewise described Eror’s remarks as an apology for “non-objective reporting” and emphasized that the video had gone viral outside Serbia. It presented Navratilova’s response as a sarcastic message following the students’ electoral success.

The two reports agreed on the sequence of events but differed in emphasis. The opposition-oriented account treated the apology as a sign that Serbia’s media environment could be changing, while the pro-government report focused more narrowly on the viral reaction and Navratilova’s celebrity intervention. In both versions, the central moment was the same: a public broadcaster acknowledging years of one-sided coverage, followed by an international comparison with Fox News.