Media reporting bias on foreign actors in 2024

Media reporting in Serbia during 2024 has been characterized by a biased portrayal of foreign actors, with the dominance of propaganda and manipulative narratives that favor Russia and China while portraying the West in a negative light. This trend has remained consistent for years.

The United States and Russia were the most frequently covered actors in the media throughout the year, followed by the EU as the third most represented entity. At the same time, NATO and China received somewhat less media attention. However, an analysis of media reporting reveals clear bias – while Russia and China were favored, Western actors were predominantly portrayed in a negative light.

Biased reporting in favor of Russia and China and against Western actors was dominant across all types of media. The same reporting pattern—positive coverage of Russia and China and negative coverage of Western actors—was observed across the main topics that dominated media discourse throughout the year. The only exception was the EU, which was covered positively when the focus was on economic issues, financial assistance and support from the EU to Serbia, and energy cooperation.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić was the most frequently cited politician in the media when reporting on foreign actors. His statements were mainly used in reports that portrayed China and Russia positively, while Western actors were presented negatively.

The peak of favorable coverage of Russia occurred in February and March, during the Russian presidential election campaign. China received the most favorable reporting in May, when the Chinese president made an official visit to Serbia. The United States saw the highest level of positive coverage in November, following Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election. The EU received the most positive reporting in July, during German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Serbia and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the EU and Serbia on a strategic partnership for sustainable raw materials.

Two-thirds of identified manipulations were anti-Western, while an additional 20% were classified as pro-Russian propaganda. The majority of manipulative content originated from domestic media, followed by social media, Russian, and then European media. An analysis of the main topics confirms that these manipulations primarily served to strengthen pro-Russian and pro-Chinese narratives while simultaneously reinforcing anti-Western sentiment.

The full report is available here.