Messages in the Media - University of Toronto

2011 IN REVIEW:
The major topic discussed in Serbia's media
throughout 2011 has been that of candidate status and the
various issues surrounding it. This is not surprising given
that most of the major events throughout the year, such as
the arrest of Ratko Mladic, have been related to the country's
prospects for joining the EU. The large number of articles
written on this subject is indicative of the public’s
interest and hopes of receiving candidate status; if the
population had been indifferent to the issue, it would not
have been such a prominent topic. Several interesting
trends emerged within this category of news stories as
well. One such trend was that throughout the year, many
reports were written predicting whether or not Serbia
would receive candidate status by the end of the year.
There were many articles suggesting both outcomes, however,
in general, most foresaw a positive change in Serbia’s
prospects. Such reports would often highlight the many
promises and statements of EU officials that supported
their arguments, while simply mentioning that most of the
promises made by EU officials were conditional on the
progress of bilateral relations of Serbia and Kosovo. This
suggested a generally hopeful attitude in the media over
the country's prospects of achieving its goal. About halfway
through the year however, following Angela Merkel’s visit
to Belgrade, the excitement over the issue had dissipated as
the German Chancellor made it clear that Serbia would
have to give up its parallel institutions in Northern Kosovo
in order to receive candidate status. Thus the general atmosphere
of hopefulness gradually diminished as it became
increasingly clear that receiving candidate status
would be more difficult that originally anticipated.
Kosovo was another major theme in the media
throughout the year. This issue closely ties into that of Serbia’s
future within the EU, since developments in Kosovo
would inevitably affect the outcome of Serbia's bid for candidacy.
As such, there appears to have been a great deal of
anxiety over the issue of Kosovo and the developments in
that region. One trend, which demonstrates this anxiety, is
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