06. 11. 2006

MEDIA LED “YES” CAMPAIGN

BELGRADE, November 6, 2006. (BETA) - Serbian media led the “Yes” referendum campaign, financed by the government, and spent less time engaged in objective reporting. This is the gist of the report submitted by Gordana Suša of the Media Center’s Press Council, who also said that this campaign was well-paid for by the Serbian government. October was the month of serious breaches of the media code of ethics, articulated in an almost unison, banal message, namely that “the enemies of Serbia, Albanian separatist, Ustashas, gay people and those that can be bought were against the new constitution”, according to Suša. Presenting the Council’s report in a press conference, Suša also said that instead of respecting the right of voters to a competent choice, based on full information, the media allowed the political propaganda based on collectivism to take the stage. Social Sciences Institute researcher Jovanka Matić said it was the duty of the media to inform the citizens of all their options and give equal opportunity to different views on the issue. Instead, Matić pointed out, during the referendum campaign the media gave priority to the political group that advocated the constitution’s approval, disregarding the interest of the citizens, which should normally come first. The group calling for the boycott of the referendum was given much less space and attention than others, she said. RTS, the state television, advertising itself as a public service, used the strategies to influence the voters identical to those used by the Milošević regime, Matić said, and added that the state television reporting looked like a state project.