Vesna Šofranac
Monitoring of media presence of the highest state officials and party leaders in the period between January and September 2020 has confirmed that Vijesti concern continues to mount increasingly hostile campaign against president, Mr Milo Đukanović.
How else could we name that if not a campaign – the data that as many as 1.260 negative publications about Mr Đukanović were released this year by Vijesti portal, TV and ND Vijesti?
The authors of the study have analyzed data about the presence of the president, highest representatives of legislative and executive power and presidents of all political parties in Montenegro which have the status of parliamentary parties.
The study records reporting about 15 functionaries – apart from Mr Đukanović, there’s Prime Minister and two vice-presidents of the Government, president of the parliament and two vice-presidents, leaders of Democratic Front, Democrats, SDP, SD, URA, Demos…
In the first eight months of this year, Vijesti concern has published 1.226 negative information about them, 1.260 of which referred to Mr Đukanović!
Last year, this media concern published 2.133 negative information about Montenegrin president.
Authors of the analysis state that this data clearly shows that a dominantly negative public picture of the president is being created in the media month to month.
The opinion Vijesti expresses about other functionaries and party leaders clearly shows that it is conducting an aggressive campaign against Mr Đukanović.
Adding to this data about positive texts published in the first eight months about Mr Đukanović, it becomes clear that Vijesti concern has a balanced approach to almost everyone, except to Mr Đukanović.
From 1 January to 1 September, only 341 positive information about Mr Đukanović was published.
Ms Draginja Vuksanović had the most positive reports (222). Next come Mr Aleksa Bečić (159), Mr Dritan Abazović (136), Mr Milan Knežević and Mr Miodrag Lekić (80), Mr Nebojša Medojević (77), Mr Andrija Mandić (68)…
As far as the former legislative and executive power is concerned, Mtr Duško Marković had the most positive reports.
President of the Government was the subject of Vijesti too, but the majority of the reports were neutral.
What is evident, authors state, is that negative journalist influence in the case of Mr Đukanović will not stop in Vijesti concern.
Authors explain that they used the method of defining “general impression which implies “roof” assessment on the entire information in relation to the subject observed.
Observers are put in the position of an average information consumer (reader) and they make assessment on the impression specific information has.
Vijesti concern used the entire machinery to present Mr Đukanović as negatively as possible.
SURGE IN NEGATIVE INFORMATION IN AUGUST
Vijesti TV, ND Vijesti and Portal Vijesti released 370 media information about Mr Đukanović between 1 and 31 August 2020. Information about Mr Đukanović was present in 12 reports on a daily basis.
