The
position of national minorities in media in FRY
The
enclosed are the results of the research conducted by Media Works agency on the
position of national minorities in media in FRY. The Roma minority and the
Hungarian minority were taken as minority representatives. All contents
referring to those two ethnic groups were monitored for two months (October 25
–
The
media chosen to be monitored had to represent the general public opinion,
namely they had to be the media with the biggest qualitative and quantitative
influence on the society (big circulations – rating, great coverage, suitable
contents).
As
far as daily papers are concerned, the analysis included the following: Politika,
Vecernje novosti, Blic, Glas javnosti.
The
analysis of TV stations covered the programmes of RTS, BK TV and Studio
B.
The
media in Hungarian were included in the analysis (the media in the Roma
language have no influence and are not present in the society enough for their
analysis to offer any relevant statistic parameters). The analysis included Magyar
szo from the printed media and RTNS programmes in Hungarian, from
the TV media.
Prime
time news (evening news) were monitored on television,
and their qualitative analyses were carried out with the same criteria as for
the printed media.
The
system of analysis was directed at journalists who made the stories and in that
way influenced the formation of the public opinion.
The
basic parameters used while processing the material were:
- the frequency
of texts related to the given subject
- the nature
of the events reported on
- conflict
situations (situations in which there were clashes of attitudes, of
interests or physical conflicts...)
- non-conflict
situations (situations in which there are no conflicts, in which subjects
do not influence one another)
- the theme
of presented events (the area of social life the report covers), politics,
culture, society, history, legislature, education, economy, criminal,
ethnic
- the manner
in which events are presented.
This part of the analysis consisted of two parts. As
it was already mentioned, special accent was placed at the role of journalists
and that is why the author and his attitude were especially observed.
The
following parameters were determined for the author’s attitude (bias):
- positive
attitude: favoures the subject and shows the journalist’s inclination
towards the persons or themes in question
- neutral
attitude: unbiased manner of presenting information
- negative
attitude: the author has a personal negative attitude about the theme he
or she is covering
This
category pays special attention to the language used by the journalist.
|
Bias
in reporting - Hungarians |
|||
|
|
positiv |
neutral |
negativ |
|
Vecernje Novosti |
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
Politika |
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
Glas Javnosti |
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
Blic |
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
Magyar Szo |
41
|
622
|
9
|
|
6%
|
93%
|
1%
|
|
|
RTS TV |
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
BK TV |
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
STB TV |
0
|
2
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
RTNS TV |
16
|
133
|
0
|
|
115
|
89%
|
0
|
|
|
Bias
in reporting - Roma |
|||
|
|
positiv |
neutral |
negativ |
|
Vecernje Novosti |
1
|
13
|
1
|
|
7%
|
86%
|
7%
|
|
|
Politika |
0
|
16
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
Glas Javnosti |
0
|
8
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
Blic |
0
|
6
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
Magyar Szo |
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
100%
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
RTS TV |
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
BK TV |
0
|
4
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
STB TV |
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
RTNS TV |
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
100%
|
0
|
0
|
|
-
To evaluate the work we used: (related to the quality of the news
and the number of information)
- neutral
evaluation: the story that meets all professional demands of journalism
(answers the questions: who, where, when, how and why) and does not
include subjective evaluations of events and subjects.
- positive
evaluation: all professional demands are met, but a positive attitude
about solving the problems that occurred is also present
- negative
evaluation: the professional demands are not met.
-
The length of the story:
This parameter indicates the importance of the theme
and the manner in which it is presented in the media.
-
The adopted categories for printed media are:
short
article, enlarged article, report, interview,
comment, story, photo
- The
length of the story was timed in TV media.
|
|
POLITIKA |
NOVOSTI |
BLIC |
GLAS JAVNOSTI |
MAGYAR SZO |
|
SHORT ARTICLE |
0 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
181 |
|
ENLARGED ARTICLE |
7 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
120 |
|
STORY |
4 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
226 |
|
INTERVIEW |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
88 |
|
REPORT |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
|
PHOTO |
4 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
149 |
- The characteristics
of the subjects: it was monitored whether members of the observed
minorities were active or passive participants in the covered events and
their actions were evaluated: positive, neutral, negative.
Time
given to the national minorities on tv media
|
|
measured time |
number of stories |
|
RTS TV |
0: |
6 |
|
BK TV |
0: |
5 |
|
STB TV |
0: |
2 |
|
RTNS TV |
|
149 |
Data
analysis
The
mentioned period of two months covered :
37
articles related to the Roma minority
7 articles related to the Hungarian national minority
7 TV reports about the Roma minority
6 TV reports about the Hungarian minority
667 articles in journals in Hungarian related to the Hungarian minority
1 article in the journals in Hungarian related to the Roma minority
149 TV report in Hungarian related to the Hungarian minority
1 TV report in Hungarian related to the Roma minority.
Analyses
of the data related to the Roma national minority
The
stories on Roma people were mostly related to the social problems in the Roma
community (conditions of life), while a smaller part was dedicated to
individuals (criminal actions mostly). Full moderation in the manner of
expression was noticed, which should rather be attributed to the lack of
interest of journalists for the given theme (which is obvious from the number
of articles), than to the professional approach in performing one’s task. With
the exception of one text, in which the term “Gypsies” was used three times,
there were no inadequate terms which could negatively influence the public
opinion about the Roma people or stir up the racial discrimination against them
in the society. In all media, with the exception of Politika, which dealt
exclusively with non-conflict situations, the number of conflict and non-conflict
situations was rather balanced – about 50%.
Resume
A
considerable lack of interest of all media for the national minority problems,
especially in TV media, could be noticed, which can be interpreted in two ways:
The
present irrelevance of the theme
The
current political situation in the country does not include the problems of
Roma national minority, and they have therefore been pushed aside to the
margins of daily events.
|
Type
of action - Roma |
|||
|
|
conflicting |
non conflicting |
total |
|
Vecernje Novosti |
7
|
8
|
15
|
|
47%
|
53%
|
||
|
Politika |
1
|
14
|
15
|
|
7%
|
93%
|
||
|
Glas Javnosti |
4
|
4
|
8
|
|
50%
|
50%
|
||
|
Blic |
3
|
3
|
6
|
|
50%
|
50%
|
||
|
Magyar Szo |
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
0
|
100%
|
||
|
RTS TV |
3
|
0
|
3
|
|
100%
|
0
|
||
|
BK TV |
3
|
1
|
4
|
|
75%
|
25%
|
||
|
TV STB |
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
0
|
0
|
||
|
RTNS TV |
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
Characteristics
of the subjects - Roma |
|||
|
|
positiv |
neutral |
negativ |
|
Vecernje Novosti |
2
|
9
|
4
|
|
13%
|
60%
|
27%
|
|
|
Politika |
0
|
18
|
1
|
|
0
|
95%
|
5%
|
|
|
Glas Javnosti |
0
|
6
|
3
|
|
0
|
67%
|
33%
|
|
|
Blic |
0
|
6
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
Magyar Szo |
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
RTS TV |
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
BK TV |
0
|
4
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
STB TV |
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
RTNS TV |
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
The
nature of the action - Roma
|
|
political |
social |
criminal |
historical |
cultural |
business |
education |
legal |
econo-mical |
ethnical |
|
Vecernje Novosti |
0 |
9 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
0 |
27% |
25% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
33% |
100% |
0 |
|
|
Politika |
4 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
58% |
31% |
0 |
0 |
66% |
0 |
100% |
67% |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Glas Javnosti |
1 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
14% |
12% |
38% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Blic |
0 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
12% |
12% |
0 |
17% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Magyar Szo |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
17% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
100% |
|
|
RTS TV |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
9% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
BK TV |
1 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
14% |
9% |
25% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
STB TV |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
RTNS TV |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
14% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
TOTAL |
7 |
33 |
8 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
11% |
53% |
13% |
0 |
9% |
0 |
5% |
5% |
2% |
2% |
Analysis
of the data related to the Hungarian national minority
There
are almost no information about members of this
national minority in the media in Serbian. Only 13 stories were published
during the two-month period, on the TV and in the papers. That is rather strange, since the Hungarian minority actively participates
in the current political scene (the published stories had a mainly political
character). The articles are of an almost exclusively non-conflict nature, they
are written in a neutral manner, with no journalists’ personal attitudes.
The
situation is completely different in the media in Hungarian, 667 texts were
published in the papers and there were 149 reports on TV. There are even two
stories about the Roma people. The cultural and social themes are dominant in
the papers, in the form of reports. The subjects were mainly presented in a
neutral manner. The events reported are mainly of the non-conflict type and the
participants are passive. The situation in the TV programme is similar, with a
slight difference in the themes – the cultural themes are dominant.
The
comparison of the information obtained from the media in Serbian and in
Hungarian shows that the lack of material is not the reason for the absence of
the Hungarian minority from the media in FRY – the reason is the fact that
journalists are not interested in the problems of national minorities.
|
Type
of action - Hungarians |
|||
|
|
conflicting
|
non conflicting
|
total
|
|
Vecernje Novosti
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
0
|
0
|
||
|
Politika
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
|
0
|
100%
|
||
|
Glas Javnosti
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
0
|
100%
|
||
|
Blic
|
1
|
4
|
5
|
|
20%
|
80%
|
||
|
Magyar Szo
|
38
|
641
|
679
|
|
6%
|
94%
|
||
|
RTS TV
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
67%
|
33%
|
||
|
BK TV
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
0
|
100%
|
||
|
STB TV
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
50%
|
50%
|
||
|
RTNS TV
|
3
|
146
|
149
|
|
2%
|
98%
|
||
|
Characteristics
of the subjects - Hungarians |
|||
|
|
positiv
|
neutral
|
negativ
|
|
Vecernje Novosti
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
Politika
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0%
|
|
|
Glas Javnosti
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
Blic
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
Magyar Szo
|
7
|
657
|
3
|
|
1%
|
98%
|
1%
|
|
|
RTS TV
|
0
|
3
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
BK TV
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
STB TV
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
|
0
|
100%
|
0
|
|
|
RTNS TV
|
7
|
142
|
0
|
|
5%
|
95%
|
0
|
|
The
nature of the action - Hungarian
|
|
political |
social |
criminal |
historical |
cultural |
business |
education |
legal |
econo-mical |
ethnical |
|
Vecernje Novosti |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Politika |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1% |
1% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Glas Javnosti |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
1% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Blic |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.5% |
1% |
100% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Magyar Szo |
270 |
84 |
0 |
37 |
268 |
19 |
66 |
0 |
0 |
36 |
|
85% |
78% |
0 |
82% |
80% |
63% |
82% |
0 |
0 |
82% |
|
|
RTS TV |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1% |
2% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
BK TV |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.5% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
STB TV |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1% |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
RTNS TV |
39 |
19 |
0 |
8 |
65 |
11 |
14 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
|
11% |
17% |
0 |
18% |
20% |
27% |
18% |
100% |
0 |
18% |
|
|
TOTAL |
317 |
108 |
1 |
45 |
333 |
30 |
80 |
1 |
0 |
44 |
|
33% |
11% |
0 |
5% |
35% |
3% |
8% |
0 |
0 |
5% |
Conclusion
The
Yugoslav media are generally not interested in the national minority themes and
they cannot for that reason offer a relevant picture of the position of
national minorities in the society, nor a general attitude of journalists on
that issue.
