Joint research by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and Internews Kosovo (IKS) – “ Media Reporting on Serbia and Kosovo relations: Conflict or Cooperation“ was presented in the Media Center in Caglavica on Friday. As part of the event organized by KoSSev, after the presentation, a debate took place in which journalists and media workers discussed challenges in reporting from Kosovo.
The reported outlined a lack of media freedom and functional and independent media systems. It also testified to the deep system polarization in both Belgrade and Pristina.
When it comes to Kosovo, this polarization is reflected along ethnic lines, and in Serbia, it finds itself between pro-governmental media and media that are under government control.
„This polarization is further deepened through media reporting of mainstream media on mutual relations, which are mainly loaded with propaganda or stereotypical reporting,“ the report states.
The research also reveals that high-ranking politicians on both sides, together with members of the international community – dictate the agenda, simply because they are the most commonly quoted sources.
This research was presented by its authors – Tanja Maksić from BIRN, and Kreshnik Gashi from Internews Kosovo. The event was attended by 40 journalists from Novi Sad, Belgrade, Pristina, Gracanica, Caglavica and Gorazdevac.
Maksić: Vučić as the most common source of information for the media
Seven Belgrade-based media- RTS 1, Pink and N1 and Danas, Kurir, Blic and Novosti and six Kosovo media outlets – Gazeta Express, Gazeta Blic, Telegraf, Kosovo online, RTK1 and Klan Kosova, were taken as a sample.
Maksić presented the section of the research on the media in Serbia, which covered the period from September 2022 to February 2023, within which a 15-day period was studied as a random sample.
She specifies that a total of 942 texts were analyzed using the content analysis method, andthat the following categories were included: the sources used by media when they report about Belgrade and Pristina, which topics are placed in focus, the tone of reporting – neutral, propagandist, critical, the visual presentation and whether ethical standards were violated.
„We are talking about two main media narratives. There is clearly a difference between pro-governmental and non-government media on the Serbian media scene. This polarization is so evident and obvious, when you would observe one, and then the other, you would probably think that you do not live the same reality,“ Maksić said.
She noted that „an authoritarian regime that abolishes various types of democratic rights and freedoms“ is prominent in Serbia.
„The lack of democratic capacities is also seen in the media, but also in all other social areas,“ she said.
She stressed that Serbian media face numerous problems: security of journalists, constant threats, negative campaigns, weak institutions, regulators who do are not doing their jobs, preferential treatment of pro-governmental media related to funding.
As a result, the quality of reporting on relations between Belgrade and Pristina has been reduced, she added.
Furthermore, she noted that research has shown that seven Serbian media produces about 50 news pieces on mutual relations a day, but also that the articles in question are mainly short texts.
She specified that the most intense reporting took place on December 29, 2022 – when barricades were removed, as well as on February 17, 2023 – when the Ohrid Agreement was agreed.
„Stories are mainly told through high politics, and the reality remains completely imperceptible. Reporting is mainly directed at crisis situations on the field, while reports on economic cooperation, cultural relations, any type of cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia, are rare or non-existent,“ Maksić stated.
On the other hand, the BIRN journalist says that as the author of the report, she is not pleased with the number of sources quoted by the media in Belgrade.
„We have no variety of votes in the public debate,“ she said, stating that the president of Serbia was the most commonly used source of information.
„In nearly a third of the sample we processed, he is one of the sources, on the other hand,
citizens are directly quoted only 13 times, although more than 900 texts have been reviewed,“ she said.
She also claims that in Serbian media „almost never“ include a citation or a stance expressed by Kosovo officials, even in the case of more important meetings.
„You cannot read about what Kurti or Osmani are saying, their statements are generally related via journalists,“ she said.
On the other hand, she argued that reporting differs depending on whether it is done by tabloid media or those media outlets that adhere to ethical standards.
She states that Danas and N1 can be considered examples of good practice.
Maksić remarked that in the period covered by research, there were not many reports that openly and unequivocally violated the journalist code.
„We are talking about a large number of short news pieces, and nothing really pops out. The most common form of manipulation are these ‘click bait’ titles that are a very common way of reporting, in other words, manipulation,“ Maksić said.
On the other hand, when it comes to reporting by Serbian media on the reactions of officials, she claims that they are often taken out of context.
On the eve of the new election process in Serbia, Maksić alerted that the topic of the relationship between Belgrade and Pristina is used in the internal dynamics between the ruling party and the opposition, and that this topic will be „abused” during the pre-election campaign as well.
As part of the research, a case study was conducted, or an analysis of three days – the dates when tensions in northern Kosovo were at its peak. A total of 247 news pieces were analyzed.
„The difference compared to the entire reporting period is that reporting becomes more intensified during a crisis and the tone is significantly changed, due to which differences between the media become deeper than usual. Sometimes the media intensify incendiary statements coming from politicians. They are very prone, in those moments, to accusing each other and in this mutual blaming, it is very difficult to understand what the situation on the field is, what was the reason behind the crisis,” she said.
On the other hand, the journalist emphasized that it is important that there are strong media systems that nurture professional and independent media production in crisis periods.
„In addition to the media actually being the key to candidly, fully and objectively informing the public, they must help the public in understanding the situation, but also to keep politicians responsible in their reporting,“ Maksić emphasized.
Gashi: The fact that politicians are a key source of information is concerning
Kreshnik Gashi from Internews Kosovo emphasizes that the key finding of the report lies in the fact that the media „still failed to overcome the fact that politicians are the primary source of information“.
„Statistics indicates that politicians continue to be the main source of information, which is problematic for the media, on both sides. Journalists must start realizing that politicians are allowed to lie, but that journalists need to have a filter that does not allow politicians to share lies and misinformation,“ Gashi said.
He added that there are a lot of problems that lead to politicians being the first source of information.
„It is often encouraged by government institutions. If we have a system where in crisis situations politicians become the first source of information, then we have a problem with the fact that they do not have a truth filter. Politicians can go to the assembly and say whatever they want. On the other hand, if the prosecutor’s office and the police were the first source of information in inter-ethnic crises, then they would have a different situation on the ground,“ said Gashi.
He claims that in the period covered by the research, it was detected that the media „closes their eyes to the problems of the citizens“ and report on what the politicians want to be addressed.
The manner in which the dialogue process was reported about and the „media darkness“ are quite problematic, he added.
Gashi claims that it is also problematic that the statements of the Government of Serbia, which are transmitted to the Kosovo Albanian public, are often poorly translated or misinterpreted.
On the other hand, Gashi stressed that despite the problems that were observed, in the media from Kosovo that were included in the report, the level of attention in reporting in crisis situations was „enviable“.
„I can say that there is still good ethics in the Kosovo media in order to control the information that is published, so that disinformation or information that incites hatred or
conflict is not allowed to be transmitted.“
On the other hand, he also notes that the ‘click bait’ headlines, as well as the way information is conveyed to journalists by the authorities, are problematic.
„We had an information blockade, you couldn’t get information for those situations, and that should be highly criticized. Blaming journalists for the quality of work should be turned towards blaming those who are supposed to provide information,“ he said.
He remarked that in Kosovo there are ministers, mayors, people who are involved in the dialogue process, members of the police, prosecutor’s office, who do not want to speak to the media.
„We even have communities that feel scared to come out to the media and tell the truth,“ he added.
In his words, a lot needs to be done in order to enable freedom of speech.
„We have a special hybrid war through fictitious comments, bots, campaigns, against people who muster the courage to express themselves freely and tell the truth, or express a different opinion about an event or gain the courage to speak against the information that politicians give or those who misinform us,“ he said.
Gashi also claims that in recent years a rising number of people have reported to the police that they received threats simply because they expressed their opinion, but also that some have been arrested precisely for doing the same.
In the end, he said that it is necessary to look at the reporting of the media through this report, both in Kosovo and in Serbia, but also that constructive criticism is needed in order to improve the quality of the work of the media.
„In Kosovo, there are media outlets that want to report professionally and respect standards, and that is what the report brought to light. The report will greatly help the media to see where they stand and to guide journalists to change the wrong logic that the politician is the only source of information,“ he stated.
After the research presentation, a panel discussion „Between conflicting narratives: Challenges in reporting from Kosovo“ was held.
Panel participates included the editor of Radio Goraždevac, Darko Dimitrijević, editor of Kallxo, Jeta Xhara, editor of Radio Kim, Zorica Vorgučić and Vera Pula from her recently launched organization Spaces for Societal Change.
The discussion was opened by the editor of the KoSSev portal, Tatjana Lazarević.
In her welcome note, Lazarević pointed out that journalists in Kosovo have been in crisis mode for at least a year:
„My personal experience from the newsroom in the north is that this has been going on for a decade, since we were founded, however, since the fall of last year, and even the year before that, journalists who follow events in Kosovo, whether local, regional or international – convey the same impression: We are reporting on the crisis from the place of the crisis. International envoys in the dialogue repeated the same sentence very often – that their role is reduced to dealing with the crisis, instead of the dialogue itself,“ Lazarević said.
Citizens, afraid of the possible consequences, refuse to speak to the media
Zorica Vorgučić stated that, over the past year, even though the headquarters of RTV Kim’s editorial office is in Čaglavica, she most often reported from the north of Kosovo, precisely because of the crisis events.
She also pointed to the lack of communication between political actors and the media, notably officials of Srpska Lista.
„They generally avoid making statements, sometimes they address the public, but the journalists do not often have the opportunity to ask questions, press conferences are very rare, or not all media are invited, or only those who are close to their political party are invited, while independent media outlets often do not even receive announcements,“ she said.
She specified that reporting from the north of Kosovo or even obtaining statements of the locals has never been easy, adding that after the events in Banjska, it became even more difficult.
„There are rare cases when someone wants to speak in front of the cameras out of fear of the spoken word, possible consequences… People are conditioned in different ways. They are also afraid of the police and what the special forces could do to them,“ she said.
Vorgučić added that journalists are often the target of attacks, especially while reporting in the north of Kosovo.
„That atmosphere is not at all pleasant to work in,“ she said, noting that it is safer to report in Pristina, but also that there are problems due to the lack of translation in certain institutions.
Addressing cooperation with local self-governments, she says that „it is almost non-existent“.
„We inform the public primarily based on the announcements we receive from the municipalities, primarily from the municipality of Gracanica.“
The situation in the north should encourage young journalists to learn the language of other communities
The editor of Kallxo, Jeta Xhara, believes that the problem is that young journalists do not know the language of the other community. Xhara emphasizes that the „elephant in the room“ is that a journalist would not be able to verify the facts regarding the tensions in the north of Kosovo, because he or she does not know the language.
Xhara claims that young journalists are growing up in an isolated environment and are surrounded by like-minded people, as a result, problems arise when they report from another community.
„Both Albanian and Serbian journalists have grown up in a different education system. The Serbian journalist maintains that Kosovo is the heart of Serbia, and that the Albanians happened to be there by accident. Albanians are taught that Kosovo has been liberated and that the KLA is the heart of liberation with NATO,“ she said.
„Now we expect them to, during a conflict like the one in the north, take a statement from a very annoyed man from another community,“ she said.
According to her, the situation in the north of Kosovo should encourage Albanian journalists to learn Serbian, but also for Serbs to learn Albanian, and that knowing and learning the language of another community is of the essence.
The media should respect the public interest, not political agendas
Darko Dimitrijević, Editor-in-Chief of Radio Gorazdevac, is proud of his cooperation with Albanians in the Pec region. On the other hand, he criticizes journalists who tell him that „they have to represent state policy“.
„It is so sad when a journalist on a public service represents public policy and not the public interest. This best describes the situation, how much our space is poisoned by a toxic narrative. That toxic narrative is spreading and it is skillfully used by all politicians,“ he alleged.
On the other hand, Dimitrijević underscored that there are two opposing narratives when it comes to journalists reporting in the Serbian and Albanian languages.
„When you turn on any Belgrade channel, either the morning program or in the evening hours, you can hear so much nonsense from various experts about Kosovo, which have nothing to do with reality. Or when you turn on the channels in Pristina, you have so much nonsense about Serbs that it has nothing to do with the facts. The essence is missing and that is what is problematic,“ he said.
Speaking of Banjska, he claims that the police attackers are presented as heroes in the media in Belgrade, while on the other hand, he cited the example of one of the television stations in Kosovo, which reported on the deployment of special forces to the north with KLA songs and Adem Jashari.
„It is very poisonous to our viewers, listeners, readers. Is it in the public interest that we have productive inclusion, that people learn languages, cooperate and communicate, or that they argue and go to war,“ adds Dimitrijević.
If we do not respect the minimum of what is called public interest, we become part of a certain political agenda
On the other hand, Dimitrijević claims that the problem lies in the lack of solidarity between journalists for certain situations, which is a major obstacle in the work of the media.
„The public space is contaminated, it is poisoned with completely negative things and a negative narrative, but if we make an effort about simple things, such as language and overcoming cultural differences and an effort to show solidarity, things could get better for us as journalists and the entire community,“ he concluded.
Dialogue contributed to the narrative conflict
Vera Pula from the recently launched organization Spaces for Societal Change, says that Serbian and Albanian society „are exhausted by the long-term conflict, whether it is frozen or active, including the narrative conflict.“
Moreover, she also claims that the Brussels-led dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina contributed to the conflict of narratives.
„It was most noticeable in the political discourse, which gradually became more and more aggressive, intolerant and often confrontational in the last ten years. This is where I see a big regression that affected a lot the relations between the communities on the ground, but also the media, which mostly followed the same or similar tone – media that are biased,“ she said.
On the other hand, she claims that the voice of the independent media could not be heard.
Nevertheless, in her words, the dialogue influenced progress in society – the development of the Serbian language media scene in Kosovo.
„A kind of camaraderie developed, which was confirmed among journalists who reported in different languages,“ adds Pula, stating that this is a big change compared to the situation in 1999.
On the other hand, she says that reporting on the crises in the north was „chaotic“, and that in order to create a true picture of what is happening, it was necessary to follow the media in Kosovo, which report in Serbian and Albanian, the media in Belgrade, and at the same time reports made by foreign media.
However, she claims that even that proved to not be enough on September 24.
„At the end of the day, I felt like a deflated balloon. Like I was in a fog and I need a guide how to get out of it,“ said Pula.
Translation into Serbian, Albanian and English was provided for participants during the entire event.
The event was organized by KoSSev and is part of the joint EU sponsored project „Fostering a media inter-cultural exchange as a milestone towards a reconciliation process between Kosovo and Serbia“, implemented in partnership with Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN Serbia), Internews Kosova (IKS) and Independent Journalists Association in Vojvodina (IJAV).
This text was created as part of an EU-financed initiative that strengthens intercultural cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia. The content of the text is the sole responsibility of the KoSSev portal and does not necessarily represent the views of the European Union or other collaborators on the project.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
