Divisions between the entities that make up Bosnia-Herzegovina are reflected in the media.
A lack of political consensus is reflected in the late rollout of digital TV and delays in passing laws on media ownership and public media funding.
TV is still the most popular medium but use of online media is increasing.
TV and radio outlets in Bosnia’s two ethnic-based entities are more popular than the state public broadcaster, while commercial outlets struggle to make a profit in the crowded media market.
There are around 40 TV channels including three operated by public broadcasters, and 150 radio stations registered with the Communications Regulatory Agency.
There are eight daily newspapers, some 200 periodicals and about 600 news websites. effectively controlled by the ruling political parties.
The press is politically partisan and tends towards sensationalism. Media outlets and broadcasting regulators are subject to political pressure. Editorial standards are relatively low and journalists are poorly paid.
Bosnian broadcasters face strong competition from their counterparts in Serbia and Croatia, and popular networks from these countries are widely available on cable.
Transparency of media ownership is one of the main issues affecting Bosnia’s ability to meet European media standards.
The US-based NGO Freedom House classifies the media environment as “partly free”.
Regional fact-checking platforms have reported Russian influence on the media in BH, especially in Republika Srpska, and that it has grown significantly since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Research by Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) published in November 2022 said fake and manipulative news was often spread by Serbian tabloids, but the main source of such news was the Serbian-language branch of Russia’s Sputnik media outlet based in Belgrade.
There were 2.6 million internet users by February 2024, comprising 83% of the population (Datareportal.com). There is no filtering of online content. Facebook is the leading social media resource.
Source link : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17211939
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Publish date : 2024-10-11 08:55:00
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