Ponašanje i uloga medija u predizbornom periodu
Pre-electoral Behaviour and the Role of Media

Summary/Abstract: In developed democratic societies today, electoral campaigns are being identified with media campaigns. Advance of media technology and public focus on media, especially electronic ones, as the main source of information influence electoral behaviour of political parties and their media representation. Independence of the media and their unbiased reporting should play a key role in presentation of political options for the citizens to consider. Fair and balanced reporting should be a guarantee that the citizens have been properly informed and have made rational decisions. Monitoring of pre-electoral behaviour of media during campaign leading to parliamentary elections for the members of Serbian Parliament in January 2007 has shown that main election race was between marketing experts and marketing agencies hired by political parties and not between political parties and their platforms. Results of the monitoring indicate that media reporting was impartial without favouring any political party, but they failed to provide independent analysis of electoral themes and promises. It can be concluded that media acted as channels which presented party propaganda without any intervention and professional distance. Guided by very restrictive General binding instructions of Republic Broadcasting Agency which required equal representation of different political options, pre-electoral reporting was sterile and uninformative for the citizens.

• Details
• Contents