Abstract
The paper examines the role that mass media played in Bosnia-Herzegovina after Dayton Accords 1995. It provides a theoretical framework and explores how Bosnian media outlets contributed to the peace process and national reconciliation. To envisage the difficulty of retooling the Bosnian mass media to promote peace, the paper reflects to the destructive role that mass media played during the Bosnian war. It highlights the roles of media outlets controlled by Bosnian Muslims, Bosnian Serbs, and Bosnian Croats. Because these rival ethnic groups had used mass media to fan war before Dayton Accords, the paper examines efforts aimed at utilizing these media organizations to serve the cause of peace. The paper also sheds light on newscasts convergence, namely between Belgradeā€™s media and Bosnian Serb media on the one hand, and Zagrebā€™s media and Bosnian Croat media on the other hand. This newscast convergence influenced the peace process in Bosnia-Herzegovina and affected its multi-ethnic and multicultural heritage. The paper underscores the assistance that United States and the European countries provided to Bosnian media to sustain the peace process. It discusses the role that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) played in regulating the Bosnian media to promote peace and democratization. The paper pays a special attention to role of The Media Experts Commission (MEC) in regulating the Bosnian media and utilizing it as a tool for enhancing peace during the 1996 elections.
Author Information
Mustafa Taha, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Paper Information
Conference: ECSS2017
Stream: Journalism and Communications
This paper is part of the ECSS2017 Conference Proceedings (View)
Full Paper
View / Download the full paper in a new tab/window
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress