Snježana Milivojević: RTS has returned to the same place, instead of being a pillar of democracy - a key support for autocracy.
One of the key locations for nearly all protests and demonstrations over the last thirty years has been Radio Television of Serbia. Detested in the 1990s as the main tool of regime propaganda, in the years following the October 5 changes, it made certain staffing and programming efforts to establish trust with viewers and listeners. However, a few months ago, due to dissatisfaction with its reporting, students blocked it, an action that did not occur even during the rule of Slobodan Milošević when it was considered the "TV Bastille."
Professor Snježana Milivojević emphasizes that "on this significant historical day, we find ourselves in front of a place that is one of the symbols of democratic failures here over the last quarter of a century."
"Citizens generally have similar grievances or protest against the work of RTS because RTS operates in a manner reminiscent of the nineties. The current leadership consists of people who have personal memories; instead of a quality RTS, it seems that political and financial pressures have been such that the system has closed in on itself and RTS has returned to the same place. Rather than being a pillar of democracy, they now function as a key support for autocracy," she believes.
History, she says, "does not repeat itself."
"Today's media and the world in general are not the same as they were 25 years ago. Compared to the nineties, the world looks different; we experienced that horrific decade of war and conflict, while for the world, the nineties were a 'holiday from history,' a significant democratic surge after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The democratic forces here had strong support from the world, which is no longer the case today. Autocrats now collaborate much better, exchange recipes, and more effectively suppress freedom," she states.
She mentioned the emergence of social media.
"The media have changed their role; many democratic forces, including our students and citizens in rebellion, effectively use social media, but the algorithms of large companies and autocrats are becoming increasingly adept at utilizing them," she explains.
According to her, "citizens have realized that the only space for public communication is a place that is accessible to everyone – public media."
"All research shows that countries with a quality public service that is trusted have a higher degree of democracy. Democracy deteriorates much more where the media are divided and where public services are either of low quality or lack public trust. In Serbia, people still watch the public service," she emphasizes.
Source: N1
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