Credibility of Media in Reporting on Human Rights Issues

Abstract

Attempting to find an answer to the question in the focus of this paper – are new mass media in Croatia more credible and socially responsible than traditional ones? – the authors explore several key aspects regarding the monitoring and processing of human rights issues in selected media. In addition to the theoretical foundation, several qualitative and quantitative research methods have been applied. These are primarily the comparative method and content analysis (of the texts themselves, but also the type of their graphic equipment) of three most popular daily newspapers (24 sata, Jutarnji list and Večernji list) and three most popular daily news portals (Index.hr, Net.hr and Tportal.hr) in the period from 15 February to 15 April 2016. The way in which the selected newspapers and Internet portals reported on issues related to human rights – with emphasis on the rights of religious, national, racial and other minorities – was compared. In parallel, between 10 and 20 March 2016, a survey among citizens was conducted by combining face-to-face and online survey questionnaires. All the above was realized to prove the hypothesis that traditional, especially printed media in Croatia are still more credible, and the results of this research confirm it. Although readership or following has for years now been on the side of Internet portals, the newspapers still clearly ensure greater credibility in the Croatian public with their approach and the way they process a topic, especially when serious topics such as human rights issues are concerned.