Izborno izveštavanje 2012: Odsustvo novinara
2012 Election Coverage: Absence of Journalists

Summary/Abstract: Monitoring of the media coverage of the 2012 Serbian parliamentary and presidential elections pointed out the absence of analytical and critical role of the media as the main shortcoming of media work. The media largely relied on parties' press releases and therefore the election news was mostly positive and propagandistic in tone. The text shows that the media regulation neglects the role of regular news programs in providing adequate information to voters. The author finds two reasons for the absence of the control role of the media. One is the heritage of the nineties, when opposition parties insisted that journalists’ analysis and commentaries were forbidden so that the partial coverage of the regime-controlled media was avoided. The other is the present economic position of the media which makes them financially dependent on the state.

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