Monthly Highlights January: Sensationalism, Sexism and Nationalism

During January, the RDN monitoring team identified a range of hateful narratives and discourse driven by sensationalistic reporting, sexism and misogyny, nationalism and ethnic hatred.

Sensationalistic and unprofessional reporting in Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Albanian media reported extensively on a serious case of sexual abuse involving a 12-year-old girl who was found to be approximately 22 weeks pregnant following a medical examination. According to police and judicial authorities, the abuse allegedly occurred in August 2024 and was committed by a neighbour, Rushan Selko, aged between 67 and 70. Following this, the Korçë Court ordered that the accused be taken into custody.

The case received heightened visibility after an exclusive interview aired on “Shqipëria Live” on Top Channel, in which the victim’s grandfather publicly described the abuse, the child’s psychological trauma, and the family’s demand for justice.

The live broadcast of the grandfather’s testimony, delivered while he was visibly distressed, further exposed sensitive and intimate details of the case, raising concerns about informed consent and editorial responsibility when dealing with families of child victims. By centeringthe narrative on the grandfather’s emotional suffering, media coverage personalised what is fundamentally a matter of institutional responsibility. Justice was framed as a desperate personal appeal rather than a legal obligation of the state and its child protection mechanisms.

The overall coverage of the incident was dominated by sensational headlines such as “He tied her up and covered her mouth” and “Either the State or me”, privileging shock value and emotional impact over a cautious, child-centred journalistic approach. Although the minor’s identity was formally protected, the reporting included detailed descriptions of the violence and emotionally charged testimonies from family members.

The use of graphic descriptions of physical restraint and sexual violence risks re-traumatising the child and contributes to secondary victimisation. Such details offer limited public-interest value and instead reinforce a narrative of shock and spectacle. Furthermore, by centring the narrative on the grandfather’s emotional suffering, media coverage personalised what is fundamentally a matter of institutional responsibility. Justice was framed as a desperate personal appeal rather than a legal obligation of the state and its child protection mechanisms.

The reporting overall offered limited context about systemic failures, prevention, or the availability of psychological and social support for the child. Instead, attention remained fixed on shock, emotion, and confrontation, leaving broader child protection issues largely unaddressed.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, information began circulating on social media that an 18-year-old woman from Bugojno was no longer in contact with her family after marrying a young man she had met through social media. Media outlets in Bosnia and Herzegovina rushed to publish these claims, sensationalising the case. They relayed statements by the girl’s mother, who claimed that she had not been in contact with her daughter for four months, allegedly after the husband’s family confiscated her mobile phone. The mother also claimed that her daughter was in danger and that she had been denied any access to her.

In the meantime, the 18-year-old woman herself addressed the public on Facebook, stating, among other things, that she felt she was treated well by the family she married into and that she did not wish to see her mother or her family.

In this case, the media exploited a situation involving early marriage and family relationships of a young woman from Bugojno to generate clicks, placing emphasis on explicit and emotionally charged details rather than providing a broader social context. 

With sensationalist headlines such as “They found her frozen, naked and barefoot,” media outlets showed a clear lack of balanced reporting, largely reproducing the mother’s statements without information from official institutions or expert commentary, for example on the possibility of domestic violence.

Such sensationalist headlines, describing explicit details and relying on one-sided statements without additional context, should not be used under any circumstances given the seriousness of the situation, which may involve domestic violence, early marriage, or the protection of potential victims, especially when the facts and details of the matter are unclear.

The media should exercise greater caution and refrained from amplifying social media statements without also seeking comments from relevant institutions and experts on the issue. According to journalistic ethics codes, reporting on sensitive family matters involving young individuals requires heightened caution, verification, and avoidance of sensationalist framing, all of which were largely absent in this case.

Sexist and misogynistic broadcasting in Serbia

President Vučić and Minister of Finance Siniša Mali were guests at the popular AmiG showon TV Pink, alongside pop culture figures. Towards the end of the show, the host played a game with Mali, in which he had to choose the more attractive woman between two. This game had multiple rounds, and Mali kept choosing who he found to be the most beautiful.

This is a clear case of misogyny, in which women are reduced to their appearance and their worth is based on how attractive they are perceived to be. This act of comparing women on national television is humiliating and insulting and furthermore, normalises and encourages (especially since it came from government officials) sexist behaviour. This part of the show where guests are asked to judge women based on their looks, has been a part of each episodefor years and is extremely problematic.

Harmful media amplification in Kosovo

Numerous posts on the Facebook profile of Arianit Sllamniku appeared to claim that he managed to cure his patients, specifically children from autism in just a few weeks or months using his ‘protocol’. This so-called protocol was a combination of supplements and minerals,including volcanic stone and anti-parasitic medications used for animals. There was also a post including an anonymous statement by a mother calling for parents not to trust Sllamniku,having had consultations with Sllamniku at his office in Gjilan/Gnjilane and said that this protocol had been recommended for her child. 

Following this, journalists from the programme Kiks Kosova on TV Klan Kosova attempted to interview Sllamniku. However, since his consultation office was locked, he refused to accept even a phone conversation with the journalist, instead hanging up the phone. However, shortly afterwards, he recorded a message which he published on his Facebook page, statingthat anyone who wished could sue him.

Participants in the programme Kiks Kosova called for a response from the Ministry of Health and even for the arrest of Sllamniku, who charged between 500 and 4,000 euros for his “services.” 

Sllamniku is well known to the public in Kosovo. He was a regular participant on a TV Dukagjini programme as a ‘conspiracy theorist,’ where he comments on political and geostrategic decisions of domestic, regional, and global leaders. 

Following the broadcast about his illegal activities, the Kosovo Police closed his office and arrested him, ordering him to 30 days of pre-trial detention. He was charged with “Unlawful practice of medical or pharmaceutical activity” and “Unlawful medical experimentation and testing of medicines.” Following his arrest, Lajmi.net published an interview with Sllamnikuwhich he also published on his own Facebook page where he presented his ‘protocol’ in detail. The media are responsible to the public for who they give a platform to. People such as Sllamniku, who presents himself as a medical professional, but has used and harmed people, even making money on them, should not be given space in the media.

Nationalist narratives circulated online in Montenegro

A video circulated online showing the principal of the Secondary Electrical and Economic School in Bijelo Polje, Velibor Karličić, singing Chetnik songs, which are widely associated with a nationalist ideology and historical violence through WW2 crimes in the region. The video prompted Amer Smailović, head of the parliamentary club of the Bosniak Party, to call for an urgent response from the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, arguing that such behaviour by a school director raises serious concerns for society and the education system. Smailović emphasised that leaders in educational institutions set an example for young people, and he questioned whether someone publicly singing such songs should lead a school.

The incident took place in Bijelo Polje, a multiethnic town in northern Montenegro with a significant Bosniak and Muslim population, where issues related to nationalism and historical memory are particularly sensitive. Chetnik songs are widely associated in the region with Chetnik ideology, a Serbian nationalist movement linked to collaborationist forces during the Second World War and to crimes against non-Serb civilians, especially Bosniaks and Croats.

A principal of a secondary school who holds an important position and role, should not be using his platform to sing songs associated with nationalist ideology and are associated with groups who used violence against other ethnicities. Montenegro is a multi-ethnic society in which Serbs and Montenegrins live together alongside other ethnic communities. Singing nationalist songs, particularly those associated with or explicitly calling for violence against other groups, is unacceptable. Moreover, by having incidents like these filmed and circulated online, they risk further amplifying nationalist ideologies and contributing to the spread of hate speech.

Ethnic hatred in North Macedonia

When former Minister of Justice Krenar Loga publicly addressed systemic discriminationwithin North Macedonia, the online reaction included hate speech and ethnically derogatory comments, highlighting the persistence of polarised and exclusionary discourse.

In North Macedonia, interethnic tensions, particularly between ethnic Macedonians and Albanians, remains a sensitive aspect of public discourse. Political polarisation often exploits these divisions, with certain actors using social media to amplify grievances or propagate stereotypes. In this context, public discussions about governance, systemic injustices, or state accountability can quickly become flashpoints for hate speech and ethnic denigration.

When a public figure, such as former Minister of Justice Krenar Loga, posts about systemic discrimination or governance failures, the responses are not limited to policy debate. Instead, online comment sections frequently include ethnically charged insults, reflecting a broader climate of polarisation and distrust. 

Similarly in another incident, Loga posted on social media to commend Bishop Partenij for conducting a historic Orthodox liturgy and water blessing in the Albanian language. The event, supported by the Ambassador of Albania in North Macedonia, Denion Meidani, marked the first time such a religious ceremony was performed in Albanian in North Macedonia. Loga highlighted the symbolic significance of the act, emphasising tolerance, inclusivity, and respect for language and identity as essential for social cohesion and coexistence. The news was met with hate speech in the comments toward the bishop.

Rather than providing grounds for a healthy acknowledgement of the importance of acts like these which serve to promote inclusivity and diversity, Loga’s post was once again used as a stepping stone to hate speech and ethnic tensions. This highlights the important role that both individuals and the media can play in promoting constructive responses and support for such cases, without contributing to heightened tensions or ethnic hatred in a multi-ethnic society.