TERRORISM THROUGH DAILY PRESS IN SERBIA:

MAXIMUM INFORMATION WITH INDIRECT POLITICAL ALLUSIONS

by Vladan Radosavljević

For an analysis on how the Serbian media covered the issue of terrorism, two highest circulation daily newspapers were chosen – Blic and Vecernje Novosti. Although they have a similar professional and editorial approach, Blic and Novosti are read far more than any other newspaper and there is no doubt that they have the greatest influence in Serbia.

Both Blic and Vecernje Novosti have the form of an ‘evening newspaper’, somewhat ‘yellow’, with attractive, provocative headlines, short news pieces, sensationalism and a principled lack of analytical articles. In the period of October 7 to 21 both newspapers covered terrorism as one of the most important and topical issues. Here are some observations on how the issue was covered in each newspaper separately:

Blic: Presentation of news agency items undoubtedly suggests equation: terrorists = mujahideen = Islamic extremists/fundamentalists = Taliban

When the US campaign against Afghanistan started, in the first three days Blic announced the issue on the front page and covered it on pages 4 and 5, which are normally used for world news. The paper featured 11 articles the first day, 4 the second and 12 the third. After that the number of articles on terrorism dropped to 5 or 6. When the anthrax scare appeared, there were 3 to 5 articles published on the same pages. It is difficult, practically impossible, to determine the exact number of terrorism pieces because this issue appeared in reports on bombardments, political reactions, information on demonstrations against US intervention, news on the appearance of anthrax, bioterrorism… All these articles were carried from outside sources. Blic regularly published short news agency pieces and human interest pieces such as that someone had named a sheep or a boa constrictor Osama, or printed bin Laden’s picture on toilet paper.

The way Blic presented news agency items on the war in Afghanistan undoubtedly suggests the following equation: terrorists = mujahideen = Islamic extremists/fundamentalists = Taliban = al-Qaida. These words are used as synonyms. Direct identification of the Taliban and terrorists with Muslims and Islam can be found mostly in quotes of bin Laden’s views. On October 12 Blic features the headline ‘Bin Laden: Al-Qaida is fighting infidels.’ This undoubtedly emphasizes the religious perspective of the conflict from bin Laden’s point of view, but this is not the paper’s dominant stand. On the contrary, a distinction is often made which the White House also insists on – this is not a war against Islam, but a war against terrorists and those who harbor them.

Blic featured two analytical articles on the issue of terrorism of October 14 in its Sunday issue, which has a different concept from week issues. One article focused on the phenomenon of terrorism in general, without analyzing the terrorist organization al-Qaida, but giving particular emphasis to the issue of Albanian terrorism in Kosovo. The second article is a commentary/report, written from the viewpoint of linking Osama bin Laden with Alija Izetbegovic and mujahideen fighting in the Bosnian war. Both the headline ‘Alija Izetbegovic in al-Quida’s grip’ and sub-headline ‘According to CIA intelligence analysis, Osama bin Laden created branch of international terrorist network during Bosnia war’ clearly reflect the point of the article, while the superscript headline indicates the source: ‘Republika Srpska again spotlights data collected by VRS (Republika Srpska Army) during war in BiH’. The article itself is completely based on the journalist’s allegations, without any visible attempt to at least establish some reservation from these allegations. Of course, there is no mention at all of the other side’s views. This article was preceded a few days earlier by a SRNA news agency piece entitled ‘Izetbegovic in picture with bin Laden.’ This title was chosen despite the fact that the article itself starts with Izetbegovic’s denial of these allegations.

Language used by Blic is generally neutral. This is a result primarily of the fact that it carries foreign and local news agency items which have a carefully developed terminology.

Selection of articles places the whole issue in an international context. Most stories are about ‘a war out there’ that has nothing directly to do with the paper’s readers. An exception are the previously mentioned articles on the connection between the Bosnian authorities and armed units with bin Laden and several articles on Albanian terrorism. Terrorism in Kosovo and Macedonia is viewed from the perspective of the ‘wrong American policy’ and it is suggested that the United States made the same mistake when it supported the Taliban against the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul as when it supported the Albanians in Kosovo against Milosevic’s regime. The conclusion reached is that it is likely that Albanians will turn to terrorism. In this whole layout, there is an implicit allegation of religious war, a conflict of civilizations and a certain level of gloating at what is regarded as the West’s mistake towards the Serbs, whatever state they may live in.

The appearance of anthrax was first covered from a phenomenological point of view and several cases of false alarms in Belgrade received a lot of publicity. But the anthrax scare did not seriously bring up the issue of terrorism and its biological form. News on the anthrax danger was offered through reports on several press conferences given by health service officials, with doctors’ explanations about the nature of the disease.

In the end, a general assessment of Blic’s coverage of the terrorism issue in this period could be – professional, but insufficiently impartial. Above all because of an indirect, although not everyday habit of placing the Taliban on the same level with Islam and even with the Bosniak wartime leadership.

• Vecernje Novosti: Parallels with NATO Strikes Against Yugoslavia

Vecernje Novosti also links terrorism with the overall issue of US intervention in Afghanistan, which makes it impossible once again to count separately all articles on terrorism. This newspaper, however, does not fall into the trap of creating the equation that Blic is more inclined to create. Novosti of course mentions attacks against the Taliban and the terrorists, but it does not equalize them with Islamic extremism and fundamentalism.

The number of articles varied with developments. The first two days the front page and next three pages focused on the attacks on Afghanistan with 23 and 19 articles respectively on the issue. In addition to news agency pieces, Novosti also featured its own articles, mostly reactions from world capitals, as well as reactions of political parties. The point made in all of them, in the headlines and in how they are presented, is that the world is united in combating terrorism. Novosti also featured a news item saying the Islamic Community in Serbia condemns any kind of terrorism.

On the third day of intervention this issue moved to world pages, 8 and 9, after which it stayed only on page 9. Only when the anthrax story started did the overall issue return to page 8.

Insistence on unwanted consequences of bombardment is noticeable in Novosti’s coverage. Novosti gives the following headlines to field reports: ‘Civilians Perishing – Cities Destroyed’, ‘They kill with help of predators’, ‘Bombs dropped on market’, ‘Destruction of the already devastated’, ‘Destruction during daylight.’ Casualty figures are regularly given in sub-headlines and sidebars. This approach clearly suggests that the US is behaving without mercy and inevitably draws a parallel with NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia, which, naturally, gives readers a negative impression from the start. Anti-American sentiment is visible in a headline published on the front page on October 11 ‘While Americans pound, the Taliban remain defiant.’

Novosti only once, but very radically, presented the whole conflict as a conflict between Islam and Christianity – on October 5 it published the following superscript headline ‘Savage Muslim protests in Nigeria’ and headline ‘Pogrom of Christians – 200 dead’.

Novosti also focused on the issue of terrorism in several features. In Sunday’s column on October 4, mildly satirical, Novosti wrote that ‘people in the East and West are living in fear’ and concluded that responsibility for this lies with the United States.’ The column added that the ‘tab paid by Bin is signed by Bill,’ alluding to the responsibility of former President Clinton.

In the Sunday issue of October 21 Novosti dedicated several articles by different authors to the issue of terrorism and the war in Afghanistan. In a comprehensive analysis of who is part of the Northern Alliance, Novosti lists their wrongdoings and crimes committed against civilians. The headline again suggests US responsibility – ‘With the devil against terrorism’. In the same issue, the paper carries an article on the Taliban authorities and the atrocities they have committed. The article is published on pages normally used for reportages and human interest pieces and it features attractive photographs of executions and hangings of people in Afghanistan.

Novosti also places this issue in a regional context. In the October 20 issue, the paper’s Skopje correspondent reports that 50 mujahideen have come to fight on the side of Albanian extremists. An article from Belgrade quotes the Yugoslav War Crimes Board as saying that mujahideen in Bosnia-Herzegovina operated three prisoner camps where they tortured Serbs and adding that Alija Izetbegovic himself regularly visited mujahideen camps.

The most serious analytical article was published by Novosti in its festive issue on the paper’s anniversary, October 16. Speaking for Novosti, historian Aleksa Djilas says a distinction should be made between Islamic fundamentalism and radical Islam. He said Islamic fundamentalism insists on a lifestyle in accordance with religious requirements, while radical Islam, although originating from Islamic fundamentalism, is a political ideology reinforced by hatred toward the West. Djilas tells Novosti that terrorism could strengthen the West by forcing it to carry out reforms. He criticizes US retaliatory bombing and emphasizes that Muslim fanatics believe that US strikes will topple pro-American regimes in Islamic countries and unite Islam. At the same time he underlines that it is a disgrace for Muslim countries that none of them are democratic, but adds that it is also a fact that none of them have been fascist or communist either. The historian calls the West’s policy on Muslim countries unjust and adds that a large number of Muslims are in favor of bin Laden because they are angry at the West and want to settle accounts with it.

Anthrax was a number one issue in Novosti from the day it appeared. This form of terrorism was covered in different ways – by carrying news agency items, to dedicating two middle pages to the danger of anthrax, bioterrorism, prevention and other issues that spring to mind in this connection.

A general assessment of Vecernje Novosti’s coverage of terrorism could be – maximum information, clear distinction between terrorism and Islam, but biased, negative position towards US campaign and United States in general.

• Statistics

Blic:

total no. of articles: 208

front page articles: 10 times in 15 monitored days

news items: 198

analyses/commentaries: 10

articles from paper’s own sources: 13

articles from outside sources: 195

Vecernje Novosti:

total no. of articles: 168

front page articles: 12 times in 15 monitored days

news items: 147

analyses/commentaries: 21

articles from paper’s own sources: 40

articles from outside sources: 128

Vladan Radosavljevic is an editor at the Media Center in Belgrade (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia). Translation by: K.H. ©Media Online 2001. All rights reserved

source: MHxJU
published by: Roland Brunner rbr@medienhilfe.ch date of release on this site: 27-11-2001

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