IPI launches book on media coverage of FRY conflict
"The Kosovo News and Propaganda War"
IPI press release, Vienna, 15 Otober 1999
some COPIES of the book's pages
taken from www.freemedia.at on October 17, 1999

 
IFEX- News from the international freedom of expression community
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PRESS RELEASE - FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
15 October 1999

IPI launches book on media coverage of FRY conflict

SOURCE: International Press Institute (IPI), Vienna

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI press release:

Vienna, 15 Otober 1999
Press Release

IPI launches new book: The Kosovo News and Propaganda War

The International Press Institute today launched a collection of analyses, memoirs and opinions that examines and challenges the media coverage of the conflict in FR Yugoslavia; asks where and how truth got lost or distorted; and probes for media lessons worth learning from this tragic experience.

The past decade has seen a plunging spiral of violence in the Balkans. The media has tragically become entwined in this deadly cycle. Flames of hatred have been fanned by biased journalists, and those reporting objectively have often faced appalling consequences.

Nato's decision to attempt to bomb Serbia into respecting human rights and accepting a peace settlement in Kosovo attracted universal media attention. With the alliance's colossal might towering over a war-torn and sanctioned Yugoslavia, the military outcome was clear from the onset. But the battle could have been won and lost in the trenches of public opinion. Both parties buried inconvenient information and deployed deceit and implication to win the sympathies of a sceptical audience.

The war was punctuated with accusations from the media and against the media. Claims of censorship, propaganda purveying, distorted and suppressed information were met by allegations of media treason, sensationalist reporting, cheerleading and appeasing. This book details the media aspects of the military conflict in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from various perspectives. Several opinions have been collated from news professionals on the issues of the flow of information and the media coverage of the conflict - in FRY itself, in the bordering countries, in key Nato countries and in selected neutral countries.

The contributors appraise issues such as the quality of coverage, focus of attention, levels of impartiality, the parameters of the media debates and the general presentation. Several journalists who reported from the field have contributed their media-related observations and personal experiences during the period of the Nato airstrikes. The Kosovo News and Propaganda War was pieced together to capture varying views on the coverage of this conflict and to provide future war reporters, their editors, and indeed public policy makers, with an overview of the news-related lessons worth learning from this tragic experience.

The book is produced in conjunction with the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), the Alliance of Kosova Journalists, the Albanian Media Institute and Balkan Media Association. The Kosovo News and Propaganda War is 584 pages and includes 75 contributions from over 40 countries. Copies can be ordered from IPI headquarters for $30. For excerpts and more information please see IPI's website http: www.freemedia.at

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact IPI at Spiegelgasse 2, A-1010 Vienna, Austria, tel: +43 1 512 90 11, fax: +43 1 512 90 14, e-mail: Michael Kudlak at ipi.vienna@xpoint.at, or Peter Goff at info@freemedia.at, Internet site: www.freemedia.at.

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	THE KOSOVO NEWS AND PROPAGANDA WAR Published by: The International Press Institute in association with the Association of Independent Broadcast Media (ANEM) Alliance of Kosova Journalists Albanian Media Institute BalkanMedia Association Editor: Peter Goff
	Table of Contents and selected articles available on-line
	About the Book	Contributors	Order the Book
About the Book The past decade has seen a plunging spiral of violence in the Balkans. The media has tragically become entwined in this deadly cycle. Flames of hatred have been fanned by biased journalists, and those reporting objectively have often faced appalling consequences. Nato’s decision to attempt to bomb Serbia into respecting human rights and accepting a peace settlement in Kosovo attracted universal media attention. With the alliance’s colossal might towering over a war-torn and sanctioned Yugoslavia, the military outcome was clear from the onset. But the battle could have been won and lost in the trenches of public opinion. Both parties buried inconvenient information and deployed deceit and implication to win the sympathies of a sceptical audience. The war was punctuated with accusations from the media and against the media. Claims of censorship, propaganda purveying, distorted and suppressed information were met by allegations of media treason, sensationalist reporting, cheerleading and appeasing. This book details the media aspects of the military conflict in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from various perspectives. Several opinions have been collated from news professionals on the issues of the flow of information and the media coverage of the conflict - in FRY itself, in the bordering countries, in key Nato countries and in selected neutral countries. The contributors appraise issues such as the quality of coverage, focus of attention, levels of impartiality, the parameters of the media debates and the general presentation. Several journalists who reported from the field have contributed their media-related observations and personal experiences during the period of the Nato airstrikes. The Kosovo News and Propaganda War examines and challenges the media’s coverage of the conflict; questions the sources of information; outlines the obstacles that were erected to impede free reporting; asks where and how truth got lost or distorted; and probes for media lessons worth learning from this tragic experience.
Contributors to: THE KOSOVO NEWS AND PROPAGANDA WAR Richard Tait, ITN; Richard Keeble, City University; Jake Lynch, Sky News, Donald Trelford, former Editor-in-Chief of The Observer; Philip Hammond, South Bank University; Steve Brill, Brill’s Content; Seth Ackerman, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting; Noam Chomsky; Norman Solomon; Michael Massing, The Nation; Dietrich Leder, Funk Korrespondenz; Rainer Braun, Funk Korrespondenz; Dusan Reljic; Thomas Possin, ZDF; Jörg Brase, ZDF; Santiago Ybarra Churruca, Correro Group; Felipe Sahagún, El Mundo; Miguel Moleda, Radio Nacional de Espana; Nicole Vulser, Le Monde; Carlo Gubitosa & Sabina Fusari, Peacelink; Petr Dudek; Domenika Pszczolkowska, Gazeta Wyborcza; Beck László; Gerfried Sperl, Der Standard; Irina Lagunina, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Branko Maksimovic, Vecer; Michael Foley, Dublin Institute of Technology; Cyril Steiger & Markus Spillmann, Neue Züricher Zeitung, Oliver Fahrni, Die Weltwoche; Rune Ottosen, Journalist Education - Olso College; Christina Jutterström; Virginie Jouan and Mogens Schmidt, The European Journalism Centre; Nigel McCarthy, University of Queensland; Raymond Louw, Southern Africa Report; Vincent A. Carlin; Ferai Tinc, Hürriyet; Semih Idiz, The Star; Philip Mathew, The Malayala Manorama; Nitzan Horowitz, Ha’aretz; John Gittings, The Guardian; Johny Erling, Die Welt; The ANEM Media and Legal Team; Zeke Gecaj & Hamide Latifi, Alliance of Kosova Journalists; Remzi Lani, Albanian Media Institute; Rossen Milev, BalkanMedia Association; Stern Magazine; Paul Watson, LA Times; Antun Masle, Globus; Hanspeter "Pit" Schnitzler, SAT 1; Julian Manyon, ITN; Patrick Bishop, The Telegraph; Romain Gubert, Le Point; Alex Thompson, Channel 4; John Simpson, BBC; Bill Neely, ITN; Eve Ann Prentice, The Times; Dejan Anastasijevic, Vreme, Koha Ditore and Time; Massimo Calabresi, Time; Oszkár Fükes, Népszabadaság; Vili Einspieler, Delo; Berhard Odenhal, Der Standard; Angela Rodicio, TVE; Jean-Pierre Gallois, Agence France Presse; Nagata Mastoshi, Kyodo News; Oliver Vujovic, Die Presse; Enrico Brivio, Limes and Il sole 24 ore; Sylvia Schreiber, Alexander Szandar, Thomas Tuma, Der Spiegel; Nicholas Varchaver, Brill’s Content; Will King, Brent Sadler, CNN;  CARTOONISTS: Christo Komarnitski, Sega; Steve Greenberg, Seattle Post-Intellingencer; Martyn Turner, Irish Times; Jeff Danzinger, Los Angeles Times Syndicate; Tim Sanders; Jonathan Brown, Deseret News; Predrag Korasic, Corax; Marko Hocevar, Delo; Drago Senica, Vecer; Shin Sunao, Asahi Shimbun; Yutenji Saburo, Yomuri Shimbun; Jürgen Tomicek; Renea Aranda, The Philippine Star. The book was published with the kind support of the International Relations Department, City of Vienna, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Gruner and Jahr AG + Co.
Order the Book The book The Kosovo News and Propaganda War (584 pages/ US$ 30)  can be ordered from the  International Press Institute Tel: +43.1.512 90 11 Fax: +43.1.512 90 14 E-mail: info@freemedia.at

Publisher’s foreword

Introduction

Analyses of the media’s coverage of the conflict in FRY

Covering the War: Reports from journalists on the ground

Nato press briefings

Appendices

Publisher’s foreword
Johann P. Fritz, Director, International Press Institute

Introduction
Peter Goff, International Press Institute

Analyses of the media’s coverage of the conflict in FRY

United Kingdom
Richard Tait, Editor-in-Chief, ITN
Dr. Richard Keeble, Senior lecturer in journalism, City University
Jake Lynch, Sky News
Donald Trelford, former Editor-in-Chief of The Observer
Prof. Philip Hammond, Senior lecturer in Media at South Bank University

United States
Steven Brill, Editor and Publisher, Brill’s Content
Seth Ackerman, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
Noam Chomsky, Writer and Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Norman Solomon, Media Beat
Will King, Managing Editor and Vice President, CNN
Michael Massing, The Nation
Nicholas Varchaver, Brill’s Content

Germany
Dietrich Leder, Funk Korrespondenz
Rainer Braun, Funk Korrespondenz
Dusan Reljic, epd medien and the European Institute of the Media
Thomas Possin, ZDF
Jörg Brase, ZDF

Spain
Santiago Ybarra Churruca, President of the Correo Group
Felipe Sahagún, Editorial Writer, El Mundo
Miguel Molleda, Foreign Desk, Radio Nacional de España

France
Nicole Vulser, Le Monde

Italy
Carlo Gubitosa, PeaceLink

Czech Republic
Petr Dudek

Poland
Dominika Pszczolkowska, Gazeta Wyborcza

Hungary
Beck László

Austria
Dr. Gerfied Sperl, Editor-in-Chief, Der Standard

Russia
Irina Lagunina, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Slovenia
Branko Maksimovic, Editor, Vecer

Ireland
Michael Foley, Lecturer in Journalism, Dublin Institute of Technology

Switzerland
Cyrill Stieger and Markus Spillmann, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Oliver Fahrni, Die Weltwoche

Norway
Rune Ottosen, Professor in Journalism at the Journalist Education – Oslo College

Sweden
Christina Jutterström, Visiting Professor of Journalism, Göteborg University

Europe
Virginie Jouan and Mogens Schmidt, The European Journalism Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Australia
Nigel McCarthy, Professor of Journalism, University of Queensland

South Africa
Raymond Louw, Editor and Publisher, Southern Africa Report

Canada
Vincent A. Carlin

Turkey
Ferai Tinc, Hürriyet and Semih Idiz, The Star

India
Philip Mathew, Managing Editor and Director, The Malayala Manorama

Israel
Nitzan Horowitz, Ha’aretz

China
John Gittings, The Guardian
Johnny Erling, Die Welt

Serbia and Montenegro
Independent Association of Electronic Media (ANEM)

Kosovo
Zeke Gecaj, President of The Alliance of Kosova Journalists
Hamide Latifi, The Alliance of Kosova Journalists

Albania
Remzi Lani, Albanian Media Institute

South East Europe
Rossen Milev, Director, BalkanMedia Association

Death of the Stern magazine crew, Stern, Germany

Paul Watson, LA Times, US

Antun Masle, Globus, Croatia

Hanspeter "Pit" Schnitzler, SAT 1, Germany

Julian Manyon, ITN, UK

Patrick Bishop, The Daily Telegraph, UK

Brent Sadler, CNN, US

Romain Gubert, Le Point, France

Alex Thomson, Channel 4, UK

John Simpson, BBC, UK

Bill Neely, ITN, UK

Eve Ann Prentice, The Times, UK

Dejan Anastasijevic, Vreme, Koha Ditore and Time

Massimo Calabresi, Time, US

Oszkár Fükes, Népszabadaság, Hungary

Vili Einspieler, Delo, Slovenia

Bernhard Odenhal, Der Standard, Austria

Angela Rodicio, TVE, Spain

Jean-Pierre Gallois, Agence France Presse, France

Nagata Masatoshi, Kyodo News, Japan

Oliver Vujovic, Die Presse, Austria

Soundbites and Irony: Nato information is made in London
Enrico Brivio, Limes, Italy

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Sylvia Schreiber, Alexander Szandar, Thomas Tuma, Der Spiegel, Germany

Resolution

Major Polarizing Medialogems

Media Chronology of the Military Conflict

Historical overview of the Balkans

Analysis of war decrees in FRY pertaining indirectly to journalists and the media

Legal Proceedings for the protection of Radio B92

Editor’s note

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