Reality as a media doctrine of consciousness reconstruction through press

Abstract

The reality TV concept has a dominant role in some commercial television stations with national frequency in Serbia. The tabloids, known for sensationalism, banalisation and domination in the press market, became their ?extended hand?, the promoters of their values. The focus of this article is on daily newspapers in Serbia - the various reality TV-related content on their front pages. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, the authors look for the principles, the communication technology and the goals for which the domestic press promotes ?the reality values?. They have analyzed front pages of eight daily newspapers in Serbia (Politika, Danas, Vecernje novosti, Blic, Kurir, Alo, Srpski Telegraf and Informer) that were published during October 2018 and found related content on about 28 percent from the total number of front pages (counting the current reality TV formats and the reality TV stars from the earlier seasons). The results show a clear distinction between the serious press and the tabloids. The tabloids are very strong accomplices in the process of diverting public attention from important topics to trivia (in that context, for researching, the authors use agenda-setting theory, framing theory and similar concepts). If we look at five declared tabloids only, the share of front pages with related content in the total number of front pages is about 44 percent. The research identified another phenomenon - fabricating some other topics into a ?reality concept?. Also, by comparison with previous studies, it was shown that the aforementioned is not an isolated case in the selected period - it is a continuous occurrence. Reality content as we see it on the domestic scene is becoming more trivial from season to season and becoming more dangerous for the power of rational reasoning by their users and observers. Based on all of that, this content can be viewed through the meaning of consciousness reconstruction.