Who Is Mladen Savatović

Mladen Savatović (born in Zrenjanin on 4 December 1991) is a Serbian journalist and reporter for N1 television. He is known for his investigative documentaries and for his on-the-ground coverage of protests and political events across Serbia.

In 2022 he received the Dejan Anastasijević Award of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) for the documentary “Kraljevi asfalta”. In 2026 he was also given the Dušan Bogavac Award for journalistic ethics and courage. The public came to know his name even better after a public clash with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in December 2025.

Early Life and Childhood

Mladen Savatović was born in Zrenjanin. He describes himself as coming from Novi Sad, the city where he went to school and with which he has remained connected. As a boy he did not know in advance what he would do for a living. According to N1 and Danas, he thought about becoming a veterinarian, a doctor, a lawyer or an agricultural economist.

His love of animals has remained a constant trait. It led him to an agricultural secondary school, which he has also talked about in media interviews.

Education

He completed the agricultural secondary school in Futog as a veterinary technician. Danas reports that he then enrolled in agricultural economics. The thought of an office job and a life devoted to a single field put him off, as the paper puts it.

What changed his mind was a wish to investigate, share knowledge with others and search for the truth. He therefore chose journalism at the Department of Media Studies of the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad. He later said it was the best decision of his life.

He began working in journalism while still a student. In his second year he became editor-in-chief of the portal “Univerzitetski odjek”. Together with colleagues and professors, he worked to improve student journalism. In an interview with Nova.rs, he said he had been involved in student media since 2013.

Early Career

He has worked as a professional journalist since 2017. From 2017 to 2019 he wrote for the Vojvodina Investigative-Analytical Center, VOICE. He covered ecology, rigged public procurement and abuses of political power.

His first major stories were published in that period. In one of them he described how local governments and private animal-shelter operators, while claiming to care for stray dogs and cats, drained money from municipal budgets. The animals, he reported, were moved from one village to another in inhumane conditions. He later called it his first big investigative story.

He also worked on a series of articles about irregularities in the construction of the “Promenada” shopping mall in Novi Sad. For that series he won his first prize for investigative journalism. For his overall commitment to journalism in 2018, he also received a recognition from the Novi Sad School of Journalism and the “Marina Kovačev” Foundation.

Rise to Prominence

After VOICE, he became a reporter for N1 television. In October 2026 he said he had spent eight years in that newsroom. On television he established himself as an author of documentaries in the “Ispod površine” (“Beneath the Surface”) series, and as a reporter who files directly from the street.

He singled out colleague Maja Nikolić as his mentor in the newsroom. He thanked her for her advice and understanding when he received his first major award for television work. In an interview with Nova.rs he also spoke about the position of young journalists in Serbia. He named low pay, heavy workloads, pressure and threats as the biggest problems in the profession.

From 2024, and especially during 2025, the public saw him most often at protests and blockades. In January 2026 the platform Zoomer named him Journalist of the Year for 2025. The citation highlighted his constant reporting from the field, including the protest in Vrbas.

Greatest Achievements

The Documentary “Kraljevi asfalta”

The documentary “Ispod površine – Kraljevi asfalta” is Savatović’s first film and the first award he won in that category. For it, on 5 May 2022, he received the Dejan Anastasijević Award in the electronic media category. The award is given by NUNS and is named after a Vreme weekly journalist who covered the wars in the former Yugoslavia.

The jury was chaired by Filip Švarm, editor of Vreme weekly. As announced at the time, 72 reports and documentaries were nominated, among them two of Savatović’s N1 colleagues, Jelena Mirković and Vanja Đurić. Savatović said the film was a team effort. He thanked video editor Igor Lakić and videographers Aleksandar Cvrkotić and Srđan Milivojević. The award was presented in the presence of NUNS President Željko Bodrožić and US Ambassador Christopher Hill.

Investigative Stories

Besides the documentary, he is most associated with his investigations into animal-shelter operators and the conduct of local governments, as well as with the “Promenada” case in Novi Sad. In his Nova.rs interview he said he could not pick a single story he is proudest of. He considers every story he has pursued in detail to be a challenge.

The Press Conference in December 2025

On 16 December 2025, at a press conference, Savatović put questions to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. He asked about the indictment of Culture Minister Nikola Selaković, the decision by Affinity Partners to withdraw from the General Staff complex project, and the “Ćacilend” tent camp in central Belgrade.

According to media reports, Vučić did not answer the questions. He called Savatović a liar and ill-mannered, and threatened to “re-educate” him because, he said, his parents had not done so. Savatović later said that the remark about his parents hurt the most. He announced that he would sue the president.

The Journalists’ Association of Serbia said the manner of address was inappropriate. Savatović added that his questions could not be heard in the live broadcast because reporters had no microphone, as had previously been the practice. The European Democratic Party (EDP) voiced its support, stating that journalists are a pillar of democratic accountability. After the event he received new threats, and the N1 newsroom reported them to the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office for High-Tech Crime.

Threats and Attacks While Reporting

Savatović has been the target of threats on several occasions while working. In December 2023 he was attacked while reporting from a protest in central Belgrade. In 2026 Zoomer also recalled the protest in Vrbas, where stones were reportedly thrown toward him and his colleagues.

On 2 October 2026, in front of the Belgrade City Assembly, a man threatened to hit him. The next day, 3 October, Savatović and cameraman Ivan Pavlović were filming a building on Kraljevića Marka Street in Belgrade, suspected of being used to register so-called “phantom voters”. According to N1, Momčilo Mandić, the father of former handball player Vladimir Mandić, began to insult and threaten him. He then tried to attack him physically, which was prevented by a man whom N1 learned to be a police officer. A police patrol confirmed it was coming but did not appear at the scene.

Independent journalists’ associations and media organizations have condemned these events several times and have called for a response from the competent authorities.

Colleagues Leaving the N1 Newsroom

In October 2026, Vreme weekly confirmed that ten N1 journalists had resigned, among them Danica Vučenić, Nataša Miljković, Mia Bjelogrlić and Ana Novaković. On that occasion Savatović wished his colleagues all the best and said the newsroom had accomplished a great deal.

The same day he said that, in the event of censorship, dismissals or an editorial staff being imposed, he and his colleagues would call on viewers to switch off the channel. He added that they are N1, not a logo on a microphone.

Personal Life

Mladen Savatović rarely speaks about his private life. In interviews he says he spends his free time with friends and family and that he enjoys films and television series. In his profile, N1 notes that his greatest love is his mixed-breed dog Klea.

Trivia

• Before journalism, he considered becoming a veterinarian, a doctor, a lawyer or an agricultural economist.
• As a student, he was editor-in-chief of the portal “Univerzitetski odjek”.
• He describes himself as a “universal know-it-all” in journalism, since the topic changes constantly, from ecology to the judiciary.
• He shared the Dušan Bogavac Award with the portal Mašina.

Awards and Recognition

• Award for journalistic courage in environmental protection, given by the Vojvodina Green Initiative.
• Commendation for outstanding work and courage from the Novi Sad School of Journalism.
• Award for outstanding contributions to investigative and analytical journalism from the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina and VOICE.
• Recognition from the Novi Sad School of Journalism and the “Marina Kovačev” Foundation for his work in 2018.
• NUNS Dejan Anastasijević Award for the film “Kraljevi asfalta” (2022).
• Journalist of the Year for 2025, from the platform Zoomer (January 2026).
• Dušan Bogavac Award for journalistic ethics and courage, from NUNS and the “Dušan Bogavac” Foundation (2026).

NUNS announced the Dušan Bogavac Award on 15 October 2026, and it was formally presented on 21 October. The jury’s explanation states that, for the second year running, Savatović shows through his reporting what it means to be a brave and ethical journalist. The jury consisted of Željko Bodrožić, Verica Marinčić, Tamara Skrozza and Filip Mladenović. He received the award together with the portal Mašina, whose newsroom was represented by coordinator Irena Pejić. Savatović dedicated the award to his N1 colleagues, whom he described as a newsroom going through its hardest moments since its founding.

Legacy and Influence

Mladen Savatović belongs to a generation of journalists who began their careers in small, independent newsrooms in Vojvodina and then continued on a television channel with national reach. His documentaries and investigations have shown how long-term work on a single subject can serve the public interest.

As a reporter who files from the street every day and asks uncomfortable questions, he has become one of the recognizable faces of independent journalism in Serbia. The recognition he has received from professional associations and youth organizations confirms that his work, and his conduct in difficult circumstances, have left a mark on colleagues and audiences alike.