Monitoring Report August 23 1997 ‘ the RAVENING HOUND of PALE’ Oslobodjenje Headline for a Story of a Dog Biting a Woman (13/8)

Highlights • How Headlines Tell It In The Sarajevo Press • Dani’s Emir Imamovic - Remote Control - Bih Journalists • ‘The Real Truth’ - Srpska Television’s Version And The Government • • Local Heroes in Tuzla See insert - Srpska Radio-Tv Special - ‘DIGGING IN THE WOUND’ A review of the B&H media published by Media Plan and the Institute for War & Peace Reporting Volume 3 • Issue 4 Monitoring Report August 23 1997 ‘ THE RAVENING HOUND OF PALE’ Oslobodjenje headline for a story of a dog biting a woman (13/8). ‘The Bloodthirsty Dog of Pale’ (13/8) the city where his conference with not yet been condemned as a war was how another Sarajevo daily, Vecernje Croatia’s President Tudjman took place criminal by any court). Novine headlined the same story about a (Vecernje Novine, 5/8). ‘Izetbegovic Is My Commentary sometimes plays to the dog who bit a female (Serb) journalist in President Too’ (Dnevni Avaz, 16/8) was a readership gallery. Oslobodjenje (6/8) wrote, Pale. Since dogs bite people everywhere, coloured interpretation of Vladimir Soljic on the reconstitution of the BiH the only interest the Sarajevo press could (Deputy President of the Federation)’s embassies, of ‘the diplomats that will have felt in the story was the opportunity statement that he accepts the authority of (unfortunately) be appointed by Pale and it offered for a good headline. the BiH Presidency. ‘The Ring Waits for Zagreb’. the Beast’ (Vecernje Novine 12/8), This underlines a problem for the described provisional arrangements Identification of quotes is not always Bosnia and Herzegovina daily press: the SFOR troops have made for the event of satisfactory. Oslobodjenje used emotional difficult art of headlines. Too often, intercepting former RS president Dr quotes supposed to be from a Zdruzena journalists or editors seem tempted to Radovan Karadzic. Lista ’97 (an opposition coalition party) make a good story out of their headline, meeting, without any identifiers: ‘The even if there is nothing in the text to ‘Never Again Independent’ (Dnevni leaders of the SDA are gathering in Tuzla justify it. ‘Human Rights Watch Accuses Avaz, 13/8) titled what was simply a list and combining in order to throw down the SDA’ (Dnevni Avaz, 9/8) titled a story of independent candidates for the local Beslagic (the local mayor), while the on the Helsinki Committee’s report on elections in Zenica.‘Tuzla Takes Abdest’ HDZ leaders spread themselves harassment of opposition parties - the (meaning ritual Islamic purification rites) throughout BiH over the weekend. What report did not in fact accuse the SDA. was an article on the need to wash the do they care for threats to peace?’ (5/8) Oslobodjenje (7/8) headline: ‘The Helsinki city. Committee for BiH: Politics Behind the Absence of identification sometimes Dnevni Avaz (12/8) wrote that Bihac Backs of the Homeless’ gave the looks like a research failure: Dnevni Avaz businessman Fikret Abdic should not be impression of being a direct quote by the (17/8) had a picture of one of two allowed to enter party politics: ‘OSCE committee. Bosniaks killed in the village of Laze, by Puts Pressure On Our Police To Guard local Serbs. The caption was ‘One of the ‘Izetbegovic Not Permitted in Split’ The Posters Of The Parties Of War Two Killed’ with no names or other suggests that the president Alija Criminals’.(Aside from the question of identifiers for either of the two. Izetbegovic was physically excluded from whose police are ‘our’ police, Abdic has MONITORING REPORT, AUGUST 23, 1997 2 Like the electronic media (Studio 99 The Sarajevo daily press, compared and TV BiH follow the same pattern in with their counterparts in the Republika MONITORING REPORT their newscasts), the Sarajevo press Srpska, or with the newscasts of the Published by the sometimes show an inclination to focus electronic media, contain a much higher Institute for War & Peace Reporting and particularly on one political personality. proportion of genuinely investigative Media Plan This personality is, in general, co- reporting, as opposed to news agency president of the Council of Ministers, items. Banja Luka daily Dnevne Nezavisne Project Director: Zlatko Dizdarevic Haris Silajdzic. During the monitored Novine, and the RS official daily Glas Editorial Team: Zlatko Dizdarevic, Aleksandra Scepanovic & Marina Bowder period, Silajdzic was mentioned, mostly in Srpski, particularly the latter, make heavy Monitoring Team: MEDIA PLAN a positive, other wise a neutral context, 16 use of the RS state news agency SRNA. times by Oslobodjenje, (ahead of even Moreover, neither can be called impartial: IWPR is an independent conflict- President Izetbegovic, and well ahead of DNN is a strong supporter of President monitoring and media-support charity his fellow co-president, Boro Bosic). Biljana Plavsic, and parties who have working to inform the international debate Dnevni Avaz carried him eight times, all in sided with her, while Glas Srpski is on conflict and provide a platform and other support for voices of moderation caught in a positive context, usually because quotes unashamedly pro-SDS, and the Pale conflict. from his speeches were used as leadership. As regards headlines, ‘Muslims commentary. Vecernje Novine went even Mess the Procedure’ (for returns to further - almost the only politicians to be Brcko) is a fairly typical example of a Glas mentioned in a positive context at all Srpski title (8/8). were President Alija Izetbegovic, Premier Edhem Bicakcic and Haris Silajdzic. (The NOT EVEN A DOG’S Media Plan is an independent organisation exception was Vladimir Soljic, who was ‘ monitoring, training and developing the mentioned once, positively). SKELETON WAS FOUND’ Bosnian media. On the other hand, the Sarajevo press (Srpska Television on the contents of the mass are willing to carry stories and headlines graves near Srebrenica) MEDIA PLAN which allow other nationalities a point of view, or show them in a sympathetic Srpska Radio-Television continued, in light. Dnevni Avaz carried (6/8) a message the monitored period, to use quotes by about property rights from Catholic politicians to convey resentment of the Monitoring Report is free of charge, and international community, but returned to reprinting with credit is encouraged. IWPR (Franciscan) Fra Petar Andjelovic, known and Media Plan gratefully acknowledge the in his pastoral region, central Bosnia, for padding this out with its own support of the Swedish International tolerance and broad views. In the same commentary. (This grew increasingly Development and Cooperation Agency number was a headline ‘The Croats of uninhibited with the August 20 (SIDA) for support for this project. Other Ozimic Protect Their Neighbours.’ This imposition of the NATO protectorate on media training, development and research was a story of how Croats in a village near the RS police, as Monitoring Report’s Special projects carried out by Media Plan and Insert ‘DIGGING IN THE WOUND’ IWPR in Bosnia are supported by the Zepce, better known for serious tensions European Union, US Information Agency, between Bosniaks and Croats, defended will show.) National Endowment for Democracy and their Bosniak neigbours from One presenter in particular stood out - Winston Foundation for World Peace. harrassment by Croat extremists. Marinko Ucur. He was responsible for An interesting way to assess the some of the most graphic word-paintings Bosnia: reputation the Sarajevo press have away of a world conspiracy against Serbs, and, Obala Kulina bana 4/I, 71000 Sarajevo, tel/fax: from home and among non-Bosniak on August 11, told viewers ‘the real truth (387 71) 667 734/5 readers is to examine the number of about the conduct of the Omarska and E-mail: times they are used for commentary and Trnopolje camps’. He had noticed, ‘The [email protected] figures of raped Muslim women rise from [email protected] source-material, particularly by Croat media. Slobodna Dalmacija felt that Vecernje day to day, and there is no trace of ..a Novine’s headline of ‘Thin Results’ witness of the crimes. According to UK: (referring to the Split summit between natural consequences...by now, from Lancaster House, 33 Islington High St., London presidents Tudjman and Izetbegovic) was several tens of thousands of raped N1 9LH more accurate than Oslobodjenje’s slightly Muslim women at least half that number E-mail: [email protected] of children should have been born. rosier account. Significantly, the accounts of both Sarajevo papers were cited as However, such a natural rise in the birth- US: evidence that official (specifically SDA) rate has not been recorded. The hunt for Box 2617, New York, NY 10185, optimism about the meeting was false. Serb crimes has also been influenced by tel: (1 212) 688-1451, fax: (1 212) 371-4054 This suggests a tacit acknowledgement by the so-called mass graves, in which who E-mail: [email protected] Slobodna Dalmacija of the independence of knows how many Muslims are buried…when the ground around at least these two members of the For back issues and other information, visit Sarajevo press (6/5). (Radio and Srebrenica was dug, in the unsuccessful our Web site: Television Herceg-Bosna, and Croatia search for Muslim bodies..not even a http:/www.demon.co.uk/iwpr/iwpr.htm TV Mostar also quoted ‘the Muslim dog’s skeleton was found.’ media’ on the summit.) MONITORING REPORT, AUGUST 23, 1997 3 He continued ‘Like cream on the (the other being Ratko Mladic). The several reporters there, this is one of media satanization of Serbs came the presenter issued a call ‘to gather to the several new steps for TV BiH. Another formation of the International court for idea in which we moved, the unity of the step noted in the monitored period was war crimes, in which the ratio of accused Serb people.’ (9/8).

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