Serb Media Presents Different Pictures Of Kosovo

BELGRADE, Jun 17, 1999 -- (Reuters) Look at two different Yugoslav television stations, two newspapers or two news agencies and you might think you are living in two different countries.

There is a marked contrast between how the state-run media reports events in post-war Serbia and how they are portrayed by independent media. If you watch only state television and read pro-government newspapers you might conclude Yugoslavia emerged victorious from the 11-week-long NATO bombing campaign, Serbs in Kosovo are happy to stay put now that the Russians are there to protect them and President Slobodan Milosevic is rebuilding the nation. Those with access to independent media might see it differently.

In most cases, it's what is not mentioned that is most telling.

For example, neither Serbian state television nor the official news agency Tanjug or Belgrade's pro-government daily Politika mentioned Tuesday's call by the Serbian Orthodox Church for Milosevic's resignation. They reported that the church's Holy Synod had issued a statement, but only mentioned the portion that called on international peacekeepers to protect Serbs in Kosovo.

Instead they gave great prominence to a speech by Milosevic launching a reconstruction campaign for Serbia.

The independent news agency Beta not only reported the statement in full but also filed a story on the fact that Serbian television did not mention the call for Milosevic to step down.

State media has also avoided covering the tens of thousands of Serb refugees who are fleeing Kosovo amid fears of reprisals from returning ethnic Albanian refugees.

Beta and Studio B television, along with one or two newspapers, file regular reports on the refugee exodus and publish statements by politicians and clergy asking for help for the refugees.

Another marked difference was the coverage of the first international troops arriving in Kosovo.

State television showed repeated images of Serbs chanting in the streets and greeting Russian troops as they arrived in Pristina. They zeroed in on signs in the crowd vowing to stay in Kosovo now that they were protected by the Russians.

They did not show pictures of NATO troops arriving to rapturous applause from ethnic Albanians, who showered them with flowers and clambered onto the armored personnel carriers.

After reports of the first discovery of a mass grave in the southern Kosovo town of Kacanik were broadcast, Tanjug issued a long denial claiming the reports were invented.

"Only two days after U.N. peacekeeping forces entered Kosovo the invented story of mass graves started again," Tanjug said on Monday. "This time Kacanik was chosen, because of the fact that the American contingent of KFOR is stationed there and TV cameras of American and British TV stations were brought in."