Dog-whistle: rečnik moderne demokratije
Dog-whistle: Dictionary of Modern Democracy

Summary/Abstract: This paper will explore the dog-whistle technique of communication, which is in use in modern democratic politics. This technique was given the metaphorical name “dog-whistle”, whose sound can hear dogs, but people can not. In the same way, the politicians are sending coded messages to specific target group that can “hear” it, while others remain in “darkness”. Basic characteristics of dog-whistle messages are ambiguity (different recipients hear different messages) and the possibility of denial. The role of media is of crucial importance in the transmission of dog-whistle messages given that the modern political practice is grounded in the media, which due to the transfer information nature, allows manipulation of the mass population. The emphasis of this research is on the ways of specific message recognition by the target group, rather than on the “original” message of certain politicians. The paperwork contains an explanation of dog-whistle technique action, with methods that it uses. The paper presents examples of American and Australian politicians who use dog-whistle technique. Also, the individual examples of using of this technique on the Serbian political scene are given. Through these examples it is possible to determine the existence and action of dog-whistle technique, in the world as well as on local (Serbian) level. Examples given in this paper point to the fact that Serbian politicians are not lagging behind global political trends.

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