Fight the Power: the Role of the Serbian Independent Electronic Media in the Democratization of Serbia
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FIGHT THE POWER: THE ROLE OF THE SERBIAN INDEPENDENT ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF SERBIA Spasa Bosnjak B.A. University of Belgrade 1988 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the School of Communication O Spasa Bosnjak 2005 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2005 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL NAME: Spasa Bosnjak DEGREE: TITLE OF FIGHT THE POWER: THE ROLE OF THE SERBIAN THESIS: INDEPENDENT ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF SERBIA EXAMINING COMMITTEE: CHAIR: Prof. Gary McCarron Prof. Robert Hackett Co-Senior Supervisor, School of Communication, SFU Prof. Yuezhi Zhao Co-Senior Supervisor, School of Communication, SFU Prof. Lenard Cohen Examiner, Department of Political Science, SFU Date: /3. 2705 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.\ Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. W. A. C. Bennett Library Simon Fraser University Burnaby, BC, Canada SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Ethics Approval The author, whose name appears on the title page of this work, has obtained human research ethics approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics for the research described in this work, or has conducted the research as a co-investigator of a project, or member of a course, approved by the Ethics Office. A copy of the human research ethics approval letter has been filed at the Theses Office of the University Library at the time of submission of this thesis or project. The original application for ethics approval and letter of approval is filed with the Office of Research Ethics. Inquiries may be directed to that Office. W. A. C. Bennett Library Simon Fraser University Bumaby, BC, Canada ABSTRACT This thesis presents the major contributions of the Serbian independent electronic media to the struggle for the democratization of Serbia throughout the 1990s. The thesis also examines some aspects of the transformation of the media in Eastern Europe in the 1990s and outlines several different theoretical approaches to answering the question: Can media influence social change? The thesis further describes the development of Serbian independent electronic media from small outlets, such as Radio B 92 and NTV Studio B, to a strong association of independent local radio and TV stations. Due to institutionalization and international support, the independent radio and TV stations not only survived, but became important parts of the civil resistance movement against Slobodan MiloSeviC's regime. Finally, in the second half of the 1990s, a wide coalition of Serbian independent media, NGOs and oppositional political parties succeeded in creating the conditions for the regime's overthrow. DEDICATION To Gari, Krca and the generation that ceased to exist Ivan and Bojan, Mitar, Saga, Orhan Nenad and Zoran, DuSan, Voj kan, Ljuba In the past days we conquered the pride In the past days we lost everything Milan MladenoviC (1958-1994) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Without the supervision of Professor Bob Hackett and Associate Professor Yuezhi Zhao, I would not have been able to produce this thesis, so it is my pleasure to acknowledge their academic guidance throughout both the writing of the thesis and during the regular course of my studies in SFU's School of Communication. I am indebted to Professor Lenard Cohen from SFU's Department of Political Science with whom I discussed questions like: Is Slobodan MiloSeviC a communist or a nationalist? Although, I doubt that even MiloSeviC himself knows the answer to this question. I am also grateful to Margaret Franz, who inspired me to start this adventure and had enough patience to edit my ESL writing. Finally, I thank my wife, Nadica, for understanding my desire to fight "the ghosts of the past" and my son, Milan, for being so kind as to let me use his computer. At least, in between his two computer games. TABLE OF CONTENTS .. Approval ...........................................................................................................................11 ... Abstract ..............................................................................................................................111 Dedication ..........................................................................................................................iv Epigraph ..............................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................vi .. Table of Contents ..............................................................................................................vii Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One .................................................................................................................... 11 Toward The Establishment Of Civil Society: Media Transition and Democratic Change In Eastern Europe .......................................................................................................11 From Pre- 1989 Theory to Post- 1989 Practice: (Non) Realization of the Eastern European Political Opposition's Ideal of Civil Society ........................................................ 12 Media Democratization and Political Democratization: What is Forging What? ................. 19 Derailed Transition: The Case of Yugoslavia ....................................................................... 29 Chapter Two.................................................................................................................... 41 From a Radical Model af Media to a Powerful Association of Independent Media: The Development of the Serbian Independent Electronic Media between 1990 and 1996 ...........41 Intellectual Basis of Independent Journalism in Serbia ......................................................... 42 The Emergence of the First Independent Media Outlets: Radio B 92 and NTVStudio B ..... 45 The Independent Media's Introduction of Open Political Debate and the Politics of Journalistic Objectivity to the Serbian Public ........................................................................ 51 The significance of NTVStudio B to the first multi-party elections in Serbia in 1990 ............................................................................................................................ 51 Two media realities: Journalistic objectivity vs . A one party model of reporting ..... 54 Street-Fighting Men In Live Broadcast .................................................................................. 62 Rimtu Ti Tuki: Antiwar Activism of the Serbian Independent Media ................................... 65 Institutionalization of the Serbian Independent Electronic Media: Formation ofANEM ..... 69 Internet Revolution of 1996: Internationalization of the Serbian Independent Media's Struggle for Democracy ......................................................................................................... 73 Chapter Three ................................................................................................................. 79 Oppression and Resistance: The Serbian Regime's Crackdown on the Independent Media from 1998 to 2000 ............................................................................................................79 Bankrupting the Independent Media: 1998 Public Information Act ...................................... 80 Independent Media as Collateral Damage: 1999 NATO Intervention .................................. 83 vii Independent journalists as "foreign mercenaries": The regime's takeover of Radio B 92 .................................................................................................................. 85 Recipe for survival: Independent media in Serbia and foreign financial help ............ 89 Violence as a System: The Culmination of the Regime's Oppression on the Independent Media in the Spring 2000 .......................................................................................................94