Media Takeover or Just Business as Usual?
Have you noticed how the media landscape in Bosnia and Herzegovina is changing right before our eyes? Al Jazeera Balkans, a TV station that has been a voice of truth and dialogue in the region for nearly 14 years, has just shut down. Yes, you read that right – shut down! The Sarajevo portal Raport reveals that this is just the tip of the iceberg in a much darker story about how Serbia is slowly but surely taking over the television space in BiH.
Al Jazeera Balkans – The End of an Era
Al Jazeera Balkans, a branch of the global TV network headquartered in Qatar, aired its final news from Sarajevo, leaving around 200 people unemployed. This station had huge budgets and was one of the few media outlets in BiH that managed to maintain a pro-Bosnian narrative and quality content. But now it’s gone, and the reasons? Allegedly financial, but who really believes that when something much more serious is happening?
Telekom Srbija and Media Domination
Raport reports that only two TV stations remain in BiH – Euronews and N1 – both owned by Telekom Srbija. Yes, you read that right, Telekom Srbija, owned by the Serbian state, controls the media space in BiH. This means media capital and huge budgets flow from Belgrade, while domestic TV stations in BiH have no chance to compete.
Why Is This a Problem?
Imagine a situation where one country, through its media channels, controls the information reaching the citizens of another country. This is not just a matter of media competition but a question of political and informational sovereignty. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik have no problem with these TV stations’ presence, which is even more worrying.
Destroying Public Broadcasting and Media Silence
While Telekom Srbija expands, the politics of Republika Srpska work to destroy the public state broadcaster BHRT. Domestic commercial TV stations do not help, and some have even sold their program rights to Telekom Srbija. BH Telekom, on the other hand, shows no agility in reducing the influence of Serbian TV stations, making the situation worse.
What Does This Tell Us?
This is not just a story about shutting down one TV station. It’s a story about media hegemony, about how information and narratives are shaped and controlled. It’s a warning that media freedom in the region is not guaranteed and that we need to be vigilant and critical of what we watch and hear.
Conclusion
The shutdown of Al Jazeera Balkans and Telekom Srbija’s dominance in BiH media is no coincidence. It’s part of a broader political game affecting media freedom, pluralism, and democratic development in the region. If we think this doesn’t concern us, we’re wrong – media are the mirror of society, and when the mirror breaks, the image is distorted.
What do you think about this media invasion? Is this the end of free media in BiH or just the beginning of a new era? Drop a comment, let the people’s voice be heard – because if the media stay silent, who will speak?
Sources:
- Danas.rs (ID: 185278)
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Index.hr (ID: 183996)
