Evaluation of USAID/OTI media transition grants in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The alternative media are having a positive impact on Bosnia's social and political situation. Editors and journalists in both the Bosnian Federation and the Republika Srpska report objective information and inform the public of the actions and abuses of government officials. Alternative media outlets offer candidates with moderate or pro-democracy platforms an opportunity to communicate their positions -- something not allowed them by government-controlled outlets. Alternative media offer the only opportunity for moderate voices to reach large numbers of people. Reactions to the alternative media have been mixed. While the news coverage they afford is appreciated, they are not accepted as readily as are state-controlled media, and many lack credibility. Public mistrust of media content can be attributed to a societal attitude toward media that goes back to the days of propaganda from the Tito regime. During the war, communist propaganda turned nationalist in tone and content. Because of this, Bosnians harbor deep suspicions of all media messages, though research suggests that these messages can still influence their ideologies and perceptions of events. The alternative media need to adhere to higher standards of objectivity and fairness than do the state media in order to dispel the widespread belief that they are tools of opposition groups and the mouthpiece of the international community. Alternative media contribute to peace and democracy because they provide an outlet for citizens to discuss public issues and policies, something impossible in the former political system. To foster an open communication process in Bosnia, OTI- supported radio and television stations now have programs, called "contact programs", which allow political candidates and elected officials to communicate their positions to a wide audience and which also let the public call in to ask questions. Moreover, broadcast contact shows offer opposition candidates media exposure that the state-controlled media refuse to provide. Besides funding alternative media, OTI supports many NGOs with civil society initiatives. These NGOs create grassroots projects to build peace and democracy via roundtables, fora, and public meetings. Media coverage of NGO activities amplifies the impact of pro-democracy and peace activities. Improved cooperative relationships between OTI-funded NGOs and OTI-funded alternative media will be mutually beneficial. OTI staff need to work to ensure that alternative media and civil society organizations support each other's activities and objectives. On the down side, many Bosnians are not ready for the critical messages communicated by alternative media. They are weary of negative stories, investigative reporting, overtly political content, and the scandal mentality of the alternative media. Because Bosnians are not yet sophisticated consumers of media, messages that may appear to Westerners to be part of normal journalism are creating a backlash on the credibility of the alternative media. Moreover, because Yugoslavia's best journalists left or were killed during the war, a large number of journalists are young, inexperienced, and lack professional standards. The public is also suspicious of established journalists who were once communists, then nationalists, and now democrats. Many media grantees (about 80% of those interviewed) are still dependent on OTI funding. Alternative media need to develop marketing strategies and forge relationships with other organizations to ensure the survivability of their news organizations and their informational messages. Contains numerous lessons learned. (Author abstract, modified)