News
WHY HAVING DEBATE TV SHOWS WHEN THERE IS A LACK OF COMMUNICATION CULTURE
The use of hate speech is a serious issue and must be seriously taken into account not only by the government authorities but also by civil society, including journalists. Television news and programs should influence the emancipation of society and combat ethnic, religious, cultural and local barriers and stereotypes. This is especially the case in …
Monthly Monitoring Highlights – problematic narratives all around the Western Balkans
Throughout the month of October, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, we have seen hatred based on gender, ethnicity as well as hatred aimed towards journalists and persons with disabilities. Trivialisation of rape and attacks on a journalist reporting on sexual abuse in Albania In the …
TROLL OF THE MONTH: Aktuelno.me
The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region. Vanja Ćalović has recently been openly exposed and attacked by …
GENDER INEQUALITY IN THE MEDIA
THE MEDIA MUST CHALLENGE SEXISM AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN ITS OWN RANKS. At the beginning of September, the news website Kallxo published an article titled “Radio Television of Men” that investigated the recruitment process at public broadcaster Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) for the positions of deputy director, radio director and head of Shared Services — all …
IN DEFENCE OF DIGNITY
In a world filled with increasing awareness and understanding about autism and related neurological conditions, it is deeply disheartening and concerning to come across remarks that not only showcase ignorance but also perpetuate harmful stereotypes. In a recent incident that has sparked a public outcry in North Macedonia, a private individual named Ranko Srbakoski took …
TROLL OF THE MONTH – SELECTION CRITERIA
The goal of the Reporting Diversity Network 2.0 monitoring is to identify and document the most significant cases (‘incidents’) of hate speech and divisive discourses in the Western Balkans media. Incidents are defined by the speaker regardless of where they occurred, but monitoring refers to their media coverage. They can originate in the Parliament, party …
MEDIA MONITORING REPORTS: Hate speech in the Balkans mainly targets ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation
According to the media monitoring reports produced within the Reporting Diversity Network 2.0 project, three categories were identified as the main target of hate speech: ethnicity, gender identity and sexuality. These three categories which were the result of monitoring 465 single incidents across the region, make up more than fifty percent of cases (53,13%). Within …
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH MEDIA
What to read? What to watch? Who to listens to? Who to believe? Can I trust my own judgement? Gaza. Haiti. Iran. Israel. Kosovo. Myanmar. Nagorno-Karabakh. Niger. Sudan. Ukraine. Wherever there is conflict there are conflicting narratives. And if you are not in the midst of it you rely entirely on such media outlets as …
Monthly Monitoring Highlights – ethnic tensions, sexism and hate speech
Throughout September, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, we have seen gender-based violence, sexism, hate speech against journalists and a rise in ethnic tension. Gender Based Violence in North Macedonia During the month of September, a woman was stabbed to death by a person she was …
TROLL OF THE MONTH: Tabloid Alo
The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region. Alo! is a popular daily tabloid newspaper published in Serbia, …
RDN’s request for moderation of the comments under the Serbian portal N1 post
User-generated comments below articles of famous media outlets in the Western Balkans can become a way of spreading harmful narratives. Even when the media content is produced in line with all professional standards, the comment sections, when left unmoderated, can still disturb the general public. Simultaneously, the media have the power and the responsibility to …
Monthly Monitoring Highlights – discrimination and sensational reporting
Throughout the month of August, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month we have seen hatred based on gender, disabilities, sexuality, and ethnicity; as well as sensationalism in the media. Gender discrimination in Serbia Ivana Parlić, a Member of Parliament coming from the People’s Party recently took …