Media Representations of Persons With Disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Historical examples show and confirm the continued disenfranchisement of people with disabilities in all areas. In this regard, it is not a particularly different situation in the field of media representation of this marginalized group. A low level of awareness and knowledge about disability contributes to people with disabilities directly or indirectly discriminating, marginalizing, and at the same time creating unfounded attitudes, stereotypes, and stigma about them. Starting from the above, the text analyzes the current media presentation of persons with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The analysis included printed, more precisely the content of daily editions of Dnevni avaz newspaper in the period from April 1 to May 4, 2023, in which, in the analyzed period, a total of nine (9) topics were published. The contents of electronic media (Federal Television, Radio Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Radio-Television of Republika Srpska, Radio-Television of Republika Srpska, Radio Republika Srpska) were also analyzed, and on which, in the period from 08 to 22 May 2023, nine (9) topics that directly or indirectly concern people with disabilities were presented in news shows. The research aimed to point out the inadequate approach to reporting on disability more precisely to point out that people with disabilities and topics important to them are marginalized in media content in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that they do not reflect the real-life conditions of members of that population.