Serbia

TROLL OF THE YEAR 2022: Daily Informer

The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region. The Balkan Troll of the Month is selected on a …

Monthly Monitoring Highlight: Discrimination and hate in the Western Balkans media throughout November

Throughout the month of November, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month we have identified religious discrimination, sexism, anti-migrant rhetoric, and homophobia in the region. Religious discrimination in Montenegro The former president of the Municipal Assembly of Petnjica, Adnan Muhović, has made derogatory comments in reference to …

SERBIA’S EUROPRIDE DEBACLE HIGHLIGHTS MEDIA BIAS

September was a turbulent month for Serbia. Belgrade was due to host 2022’s EuroPride, a pan-European event that takes place every year in a different European city. But following weeks of turmoil and media debates, the country’s Interior Minister announced the sudden cancelation of the EuroPride march citing ‘security concerns’. Then, despite the government’s ban, …

HISTORY OVER FOOTBALL: Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia rise during the 2022 FIFA World Cup

The focus and widespread conversations around the match between Serbia and Switzerland on Friday 2 December at the World Cup, was the ethnic hate and nationalistic incidents between Serbs and Albanians both on the field, between players and team members, and by fans in the audience. Before the game began, fans arrived at the stands …

THE NEED FOR LIES

When we take a look at other parameters — ideas about Covid-19 and MMR vaccination rates or the attitude towards the economy, human rights, violence against women and the plight of people in Ukraine as well as as the plight of Serbian people with different sexual orientations — the conclusion is clear: our lives may be difficult and bleak, yet the one piece of comfort we have is that we’re the smartest ones in the world.

STRUGGLING FOR THE TRUTH IN THE BALKANS

The general lack of balanced discussion in the media in the Balkans deprives the public of accurate information and damages professional journalism. Civil society actors are using social networks to send different messages and fight disinformation, but their reach is limited and often includes people who are already aware of the issues. Yet, these voices are important in the struggle for truthful information and a just society. 

Monthly monitoring highlight: Sexism and homophoia across the Balkans

Throughout the month of October, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month there has been a rise in sexism, misogyny and homophobia, alongside hate speech against political opponents. Sexism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and Albania In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a private user on Facebook spread extremely …

THIS IS NOT JOURNALISM

TURNING VIOLENCE INTO A MEDIA SPECTACLE DOES NOT SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST. A video of a nurse abusing an elderly woman was shared on social media and became the news of the day on Wednesday, November 2. The video, which was first published on Facebook, was shared everywhere within minutes. Photos with the face of …