Croatia is shaken by series of trials of former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, once the most powerful man in the country, a very prominent leader in regional and even European context. One of the trials is for accepting bribes in selling domestic oil company INA to Hungary’s MOL. The media have reported extensively on the case, but only after the justice department initiated proceedings. The footage from surveillance cameras in a Zagreb elite restaurant, which shows that Sanader gives a piece of paper across the table to Zsolt Hernady, CEO of MOL, and Hernady writes something and returns a piece of paper to Sanader, is published in all media as the ultimate proof of a bribery, because the on a piece of paper, apparently, is written a sum of a bribe.
Croatian authorities were asking Hernady to testify, and issued an interna- tional arrest warrant for him. But nothing happened, since Hernadyj was not to be found when, suddenly, a global TV station interviewed Zsolt Hernadyj, who reveals some new, unknown and surprising information about Ivo Sanader trial for bribery. All media released it bombastically, or as it is said today as breaking news, but only the Zagreb Jutarnji listt of 07. April 2014. as the main information about the inci- dent stated that Hernady in the picture that was posted on Interpol’s warrant for them had – a Croatian tie!
Neither bribes nor charges against the main witness Ježić, nor that he wrote to Sanader on a piece of paper a phone number of one of Hungary’s public employees, rather than the amount of offered bribes – none of that. Tie! “Important” informa- tion that sheds light on all of the complex relationships in the one of the biggest scandals in Croatian politics. Why is the tie important? Because, and this is very well known fact, the tie was invented by Croats and this is a great sign of patriot- ism. Editor and journalist have decided that a tie is the most important element of the event, because it averts the attention from the really important issue. They are creating a new reality.
Well, the sceptics will say, the usual manipulations to which we are accustomed to in the media, but not a creation of new kind of reality. Readers of Jutarnji will not say anything, for if it is their only source of information, then they only know that Hernady has got a Croatian tie.
The second example: editor of public TV2 station interviews leading opposi-
tion politician who, unprovoked, proudly asserted that his party has such an eco- nomic program that will pull the country out of a deep economic crisis. Viewers remain astonished, because the party was not exactly praised when it was the rul- ing party and expect from the editor to uncover such self-commendation by asking him the tricky questions. But nothing will happen. Editor bows his/her head, stares at the paper in front of him/her and happily finds the following question that was pre-written, and he/she proudly reads it. Of course, it had nothing to do with guid- ed conversation.
Is that the journalistic incompetence of editor of such rank or is it creating of new reality? The truth and facts to such reporters and editors are not in the fore- ground, but creating something that has nothing to do with reality.
The third example: France, the Left lost the local elections by a large margin, the Right wing has exulted, and there have been inevitable comparisons with the position of Croatian politician who is rapidly losing popularity. Indicative informa- tion was that French voters ignored the election, and that the turnout to the polls was very low. And it is an analogy with the Croatian elections. Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French prime minister, without hesitation resigns because he feels responsible. As a reminder, these are local elections, which have nothing to do with parliament. Nevertheless, the prime minister resigns, so does a large part of the cabinet, in a word, a break in the French political scene.
One of the commentators, Hall Gardner, professor of political science at the American University of Paris, says: “...a record low voter turnout and weak support to socialist candidates is clear message of voters to Holland3 that he must change
the cabinet and stir his ranks”.4
2 We do not mention the details, because such examples occur every day, so there is no point to choose
only one
3 Francois Hollande, president of France and socialist politician
4 Gardner, H, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/31/french-prime-minister-resigns_n_5063387.
Editors of regional media have regularly ignored this analysis of low voter turnout, because it drastically changes the awareness of the reality of going to the polls. Regional media, faced with a weak turnout, regularly foist blame on a low awareness of people who do not understand democracy, or if it was a good weather, so people barbecued, or if it was raining, so the voters do not feel like going out and such things. Nobody wants to say, “The emperor is naked,” that voters actually sent the message that they do not want to play anymore parliamentary democracy in the Balkans way, and that this is the boycott. In France, they immediately recognized it, learn lessons and tried new political measures in order to restore confidence.
Not in our country. The media do not even want to report about the French elections, because in self-censored heads of editors and journalists that informa- tion brings the reality of political life in a global democracy, and that is neither an objective, nor the means for us so let’s not burden the media auditorium with su- perfluous and confusing data.