Media Trials in the Discourse of Serbian Daily Pres

Abstract

In a contemporary and digital society we have been witnessing frequent changes and everything has become a commodity, even a piece of information. Whether it is news in the media or an opinion written on social media, information is transformed into a product that has its own price, consumers and market. Since the occurrence of the mass media, numerous communication theories have been emerging which try to interpret how content affects the construction of behavior, what type of message produces certain effects and what are the long-term consequences for the society? Applying the quantitative and qualitative content analysis of the front pages of the six daily newspapers in Serbia (Informer, Večernje novosti, Blic, Kurir, Danas and Alo) between January 17 and February 1, 2021 we investigated the characteristics of the models and narratives used in presenting the case of the well-known Serbian director and acting teacher, Miroslav Mika Aleksić, who has been accused of sexually abusing female students. Using the theory of the agenda, the framework theory, as well as the hypodermic needle model, we will try to provide an answer to the question – whether and to what extent we can “defend” ourselves from media opinions which keep “bombing” us every day and can the media “reach a verdict” before legal institutions.