Media reporting on refugees and related public opinion in Serbia

Abstract

In this chapter, the author considers the issue of media reporting on refugees in Serbia and related public opinion. At the beginning, the author gives some background information about refugee situation in Serbia from summer 2015 until May 2017. Because of the fact that Serbia is a European Union candidate, it is important to consider its progress in solving the refugee situation. In the media coverage of refugees in Serbia dominate humanitarian discourse and the necessity of finding an adequate solution for different challenges that can arise from "refugee crisis." On the other hand, the author indicates the existence of a different discourse that is mostly present on social networks and leads to the creation of moral panic in relation to refugees, especially in the context of rape. At the end of the chapter, the results of the research of citizens' attitudes on the refugee situation are presented.