Original scientific paper

CROATIAN WAR VETERANS IN PRINT MEDIA IN 1996 AND IN 2006

Tanja Frančišković ; School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia
Aleksandra Stevanović ; School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia
Danijela Blažić ; School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Department of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia
Daniela Petrić ; KBC Rijeka, Psychiatric Clinic, Rijeka, Croatia
Zoran Šuković ; KBC Rijeka, Psychiatric Clinic, Rijeka, Croatia
Zdravko Tovilović ; KBC Rijeka, Psychiatric Clinic, Rijeka, Croatia
Iva Nemčić Moro ; Clinic for Psychological Medicine, KBC Rebro, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Introduction: The media have an important role in maintaining and creating social relations and social environment. This
especially refers to the war and post-war period in which the media can form a part of the prevention context, i.e., the media can
facilitate the process of recovery from war trauma, but they can also contribute to stigmatization and retraumatization. Our aim was
to analyze Croatian newspaper reports about Croatian war veterans and to determine the differences in ways of dealing with the
subject during 1996 and 2006.
Methods: The data were gathered by reviewing two daily papers, Novi list and Večernji list and Globus weekly. The analysis
included newspaper reports related to the subject of Croatian war veterans, published in the first six months of 1996 and 2006.
Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze both the form and the content of the reports.
Results: A total of 538 newspaper reports were published in the above-stated periods. In the first half of 2006 the number of
reports related to the subject of Croatian war veterans dropped 6.5 percent compared to the first half of 1996. Topics prevalent at
the end of the war were different from those ten years later. The 1996 articles mostly reported on activities organized by various
associations, medal-awarding ceremonies, military operations etc. Ten years later the topics focused on war crimes, trials of
Croatian war generals and dissatisfaction with veterans' rights and legislation. Moreover, articles relating to crime and reports
about suicides and attempts of suicide increased significantly in 2006.
Conclusion: During the ten-year period, the media image of Croatian war veterans significantly changed, which was expected
owing to different social circumstances immediately after the war and ten years later. The prevalence of topics negative in tone and a
lack of proactive stories reflect, but also create, a social context which can affect the process of recovery from traumatization.

Keywords

war veterans; print media; PTSD; social acceptance; stigma

Hrčak ID:

76814

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/76814

Publication date:

30.6.2011.

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