News
SERBIA’S EUROPRIDE DEBACLE HIGHLIGHTS MEDIA BIAS
September was a turbulent month for Serbia. Belgrade was due to host 2022’s EuroPride, a pan-European event that takes place every year in a different European city. But following weeks of turmoil and media debates, the country’s Interior Minister announced the sudden cancelation of the EuroPride march citing ‘security concerns’. Then, despite the government’s ban, …
HISTORY OVER FOOTBALL: Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia rise during the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The focus and widespread conversations around the match between Serbia and Switzerland on Friday 2 December at the World Cup, was the ethnic hate and nationalistic incidents between Serbs and Albanians both on the field, between players and team members, and by fans in the audience. Before the game began, fans arrived at the stands …
TROLL OF THE MONTH: Dnevni avaz
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. In the city of Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a …
THE NEED FOR LIES
When we take a look at other parameters — ideas about Covid-19 and MMR vaccination rates or the attitude towards the economy, human rights, violence against women and the plight of people in Ukraine as well as as the plight of Serbian people with different sexual orientations — the conclusion is clear: our lives may be difficult and bleak, yet the one piece of comfort we have is that we’re the smartest ones in the world.
STRUGGLING FOR THE TRUTH IN THE BALKANS
The general lack of balanced discussion in the media in the Balkans deprives the public of accurate information and damages professional journalism. Civil society actors are using social networks to send different messages and fight disinformation, but their reach is limited and often includes people who are already aware of the issues. Yet, these voices are important in the struggle for truthful information and a just society.
DISINFIRMATION EVERYWHERE
FROM UKRAINE AND THE NORTH OF KOSOVO TO INFLATION AND VISA LIBERALIZATION It’s become clear throughout 2022 that malinformation and disinformation are not a declining phenomena. Information disorder is spreading and changing its shape by adopting new digital tools, applications and platforms. Disinformation and malinformation about Covid-19 prevailed in 2020 and 2021. This year, the …
Monthly monitoring highlight: Sexism and homophoia across the Balkans
Throughout the month of October, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month there has been a rise in sexism, misogyny and homophobia, alongside hate speech against political opponents. Sexism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and Albania In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a private user on Facebook spread extremely …
MIGRANTS BLAMED FOR THE UK GOVERNMENT FAILURES
Reports earlier this week from a migrant processing centre in Kent, near the English Channel painted a heart-breaking picture Reports earlier this week from a migrant processing centre in Kent, near the English Channel painted a heart-breaking picture: the centre at Manston, meant to house up to 1600 people, accommodated as many as for 4000 people, …
THIS IS NOT JOURNALISM
TURNING VIOLENCE INTO A MEDIA SPECTACLE DOES NOT SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST. A video of a nurse abusing an elderly woman was shared on social media and became the news of the day on Wednesday, November 2. The video, which was first published on Facebook, was shared everywhere within minutes. Photos with the face of …