Anti-Western Narratives Dominate the Media: Russia and China Predominantly Portrayed Positively

Media monitoring conducted by CRTA for the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 shows that anti-Western narratives dominate the domestic media space, while Russia and China are predominantly portrayed in a positive light throughout the entire period. At the same time, the analysis indicates that manipulative information most frequently relates to anti-Western narratives, with the dominant source of such content originating from domestic media outlets. Manipulative content is used to promote Russia and China, while its misuse systematically portrays the West in a negative manner. These patterns persist throughout the observed period and confirm the existence of a stable and consistent approach to the representation of international actors in domestic media reporting.

The West Predominantly Portrayed Negatively, Russia and China Positively

Monitoring data show that the United States and Russia are the most frequently mentioned foreign actors in domestic media. Their high level of presence distinguishes them from other international actors, who appear less frequently during the analyzed period. However, the analysis of media tone indicates that the frequency of coverage does not necessarily reflect the way foreign actors are favored in Serbian media. The data show that the West is predominantly portrayed negatively, while Russia and China are reported on mostly in a positive tone. This pattern is evident across different types of media, where Western actors are consistently portrayed negatively, in contrast to Russia and China.

Additionally, monthly data indicate that the West was portrayed predominantly negatively throughout the entire observed period, while Russia maintains a favorable media treatment, and China was almost never the subject of negative reporting.

Aleksandar Vučić — by Far the Most Frequently Quoted Politician

The monitoring shows that Aleksandar Vučić is by far the most frequently quoted politician in domestic media during the analyzed period. When the President is quoted in media reports, it is evident that coverage of China and Russia is positive, while the United States and the European Union are more often portrayed negatively.

Manipulative Content Focused on Anti-Western Narratives

Special attention was given to the analysis of manipulative information. The data show that manipulative content most often relates to anti-Western narratives, and that the dominant source of these narratives lies within domestic media. The analysis further indicates that manipulative information across all analyzed topics serves to promote Russia and China, while simultaneously being used to discredit the West.

Metodology:

The research covers central news programs and morning shows on TV channels with national coverage (RTS1, Pink, Prva, Happy), four daily newspapers (Blic, Informer, Kurir, Večernje novosti), and news published between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. on four online portals (blic.rs, b92.net, kurir.rs, novosti.rs).
In the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, a total of 29,125 media items were analyzed, focusing on political, military, economic and social topics, wars in the former Yugoslavia, culture, human rights, and healthcare.

The full report is available below or by clicking here.