Kosovo media blackout

Kosovo media blackout

Editor of the monthly publication Glas Juga, Živojin Rakočević, said that the lack of licensed frequencies for television and radio and news agencies in Serbian leaves a lot of room for journalists and media companies from Belgrade.

One of the people responsible for righting the Initiative of Young People’s report, Nikola Tomić, said that such a situation adds to the feeling of isolation which the Kosovo Serbs are constantly experiencing.

“These media companies are broadcasting misinformation; they are taking facts out of context, serving readers with incomplete information and regularly using stereotypes of Kosovo Albanians, especially when reporting on their political elite.” Tomić said.

The Kosovo Prime Minister’s spokesperson Uljpijana Ljama said that the Serbian media is misusing its own monopoly.

“Unfortunately, Serbs who live in Kosovo are getting an unrealistic picture of the situation and events in Kosovo, and that is a situation that must be changed.” Ljama said.

She said that the Kosovo Government has set aside 50,000 euros for financing media companies working in minority languages in order to stimulate the non-Albanian programming.

There are 111 media companies with licenses working on the territory, 89 radios stations and 22 television stations. Almost two-thirds of the programming is in Albanian.