Improving Police and Media Relations in Serbia
Improving Police and Media Relations in Serbia

Summary/Abstract: In the introduction author underlines the utmost importance of good relations between the police and the community. As social reality in contemporary world is predominantly constructed by the mass media, they also play very important role in public perception of the police and in creating its image. On the other hand, the police is in the focus of media attention due to the fact that we live in “risk society”, where people are rather concerned for their safety and security. In that context mutual relations are important both for the police and the media. However, there are some general and universal problems that emerge in police-media relations due to structural factors that shape both professions. Author describes police and media relations during the system of personal rule that existed in Serbia during (1989-2000), in which the freedom of the press was seriously endangered, and the police was responsible only to the ruling elite. The police used mass media that were under the direct influence of the ruling party as their loudspeakers, while the independent media were discriminated against and, from time to time, openly censored. Communications between police and the media were unilateral and one-way, while the public were treated as an object of influence

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