IDPI publishes the results of the analysis of the representation of fundamental constitutional principles in the media space of Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bljesak.info

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The Institute for Social and Political Research (IDPI) today published the results of the study entitled “Legitimacy and media functions – an analysis of the representation of fundamental constitutional principles in the media space of Bosnia and Herzegovina” in Mostar.

According to a press release from IDPI, the study was conducted over a six-month period and analyzed 271 articles from three central daily newspapers of public service agencies, namely BHRT, FTV and RTRS. As mentioned above, the findings show significant differences in the attitudes of these media outlets on topics such as the electoral law, constitutional reform, the people’s constitution and legitimate political representation.

The analysis allegedly showed that in the FTV case, “hostility to the concept of constitutional and legitimate political representation of the people” was expressed.

“The analysis shows that FTV frequently deviates from these concepts, and coverage often contains tendentious and sensationalized accounts of events. For example, FTV uses a clear Probosnika narrative in its coverage, which is reflected in the choice of interlocutors and the way information is presented.”

Photo: IDPI / IDPI presents the results of the analysis of the representation of fundamental constitutional principles in the media space of Bosnia and Herzegovina

As for BHRT, they point out that as a public service it shows a “more neutral approach to the subject of constitutionality and legal representation”. They say BHRT’s coverage is less sensational, but also often does not fully respect all sides of the political spectrum. RTRS said in the IDPI analysis that it is the only public RTV service that presents Croatian political representation in a positive light in its programming.

“The analysis shows that the majority of the reports on the three TV stations were informative (54.61%), but a large portion of FTV’s reports were sensational, tendentious or exaggerated (19.56%). FTV’s reports often contained one-sided views, promoting the arguments of pro-Probosnika politicians, while Croatian and Serbian narratives were often ignored or portrayed negatively,” the press release said.

The Institute for Social and Political Research (IDPI) in Mostar calls on all public services in Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide objective, impartial and comprehensive reporting that includes all relevant political actors and positions, allowing citizens to have a comprehensive understanding of important political topics.