Representation of

Ethnic Minorities
in the Kosovar Media

n Politics of representation
n Serbian ethnic minority members: “That is not who we are”
n Non-Serbian ethnic minorities members: “We are eclipsed by
reporting on Serbian minority”
1

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“This project was funded through a U.S. Embassy, Pristina grant.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations ex-
pressed herein are those of the Author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect those of the Department of State.”
 Representation
of Ethnic Minorities
in the Kosovar Media

Politics of representation

Serbian ethnic minority members:

“That is not who we are”

Non-Serbian ethnic minorities members:

“We are eclipsed by reporting on Serbian minority”

Authors:
Leonard Ibrahimi, MA
Faton Pacolli, MA

September 2009

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 About kimp
The Kosovar Institute for Media and Policy (kimp) is a recently established think
tank institute that conducts researches and analyses which are organized around
more than 12 programs grouped under two themes.

Policy Research

With programs based on scientific criteria, kimp possesses enormous potential to

broaden public policy debates and to encourage more intelligent and democratic
policy formation. Research based on both a) quality – conducting research
by using the best practices in the field and their availability for open scientific
discussion and, b) independence – carrying out research without external
interference, represents a fundamental value of kimp. In other words, the institute
attempts to play a crucial role in relation to the three basic stages of policy
processes, particularly, in
agenda setting–broadening the variety of options considered by policymakers,
and deepening the knowledge base with which they are evaluated, and at the
implementation stage–serving as both supervisor that monitors whether declared
and legislated policies are actually translated into reality, and independent body
that assesses the benefits and costs of these policies.

Media Studies

Design & Layout:
trembelat
© 2oo9 by the Kosovar
Institute for Media and Policy.
All rights reserved.
Tel: o38 739 692
Fax: o38 739 692
Web: www.kimp-ks.org
kimp is the only institution of its kind with resident experts conducting researches
in the area of media & communication. Therefore, conducting analyses of the
content of mass media and reporting the findings of the analyses (i.e., analyzing
media texts to show evidence of problematic representations of the ‘Other’;
analyzing content of media messages with regard to their reflection of reality
and consistency with democratic practices; and, analyzing how media messages
influence individual behavior and discourse concerning different social issues) is an
exclusivity of the kimp.

4
Contents
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................6
Acronyms.....................................................................................................................7
Executive Summary.....................................................................................................8
Introduction.................................................................................................................9
The Portrayal of Ethnic Minorities in the Newspapers and Prime Time Television News....11
Print monitoring..................................................................................................12
Broadcast monitoring...........................................................................................13
Ethnic Minorities’ Audiences and their Perceptions of Kosovar Media.....................14
Serbian ethnic minority members: “That is not who we are”..............................14
Non-Serbian ethnic minorities members: “We are eclipsed by reporting on Serbian
minority”....................................................................................................................16
Conclusions and Recommendations..........................................................................18
Appendix: Research Methodology.............................................................................20
Bibliography..............................................................................................................22

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 Acknowledgements
Several individuals were included in conducting this research; we thank all of them.
In particular, we would like to thank Ms. Arta Demaj, Ms. Valbona Prekorogja, Mr.
Husnia Beshkoviq, Mr. Nur Ceku, Mr. Afrim Balaj, Mr. Jonuz Rizvani and Mr. Fatmir
Rama for their very useful help and suggestions during the course of this project.

6
Acronyms
GMG Glasgow Media Group

RTK Radio Television of Kosova

KTV Koha Vision

RTV21 Radio Television 21

CA Content Analysis

EU European Union

US United States

KIMP Kosovar Institute for Media and Policy

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 Executive summary
The research is a response to citizens’ concern about the representation of ethnic
minorities in Kosovo media. Initially it explains that media representations of
ethnic minorities are not simply a mirror of reality but rather they are highly
selective and constructed portrayals, which shape and frame our perceptions of
them.

Traditionally, the researches on ethnic minorities and the media have focused
essentially on media content, analyzing how ethnic minorities are portrayed in the
media. This study does that too - it analyzes quantitatively and qualitatively the
content of seven daily newspapers and the TV prime time news of three national
televisions for a certain period of time. However, the research goes beyond this, it
presents the results of audience research - focus groups discussions and in depth
interviews with members of ethnic minorities; all this, in order to analyze ethnic
minorities’ evaluations of, and attitudes towards Kosovo media.

Therefore, the results of content analysis revealed that there is no

misrepresentation of ethnic minorities in Kosovo media; what is more there
is evidence to suggest that, in general, the tone of language in headlines/sub-
headlines (for print) and introductions/headlines (for broadcast), as well as texts,
referred to ethnic minorities and their issues was considered to be neutral.

On the other hand, although the analysis of media content couldn’t reveal any
misrepresentation of ethnic groups, the members of these communities are
dissatisfied with ways in which ethnic minorities and issues related to them
are portrayed in the Kosovo media. The complaints of Serbian ethnic minority
members were related to the belief that when they are represented, it is usually
a misrepresentation which emphasizes stereotypes about their connections and
loyalty to Belgrade.

The participants criticized the fact that diversity within Serbian ethnic community
is ignored completely, while saying that when a member of a Serbian ethnic
minority is interviewed about a certain topic, those statements are represented as
the opinion of the whole community.

On the other hand, non-Serbian ethnic felt that the main representation of ethnic
minority on television prime time news was of Serbian, and could only think of
limited examples of representation of their communities. Therefore, the members
of these communities complained that they were eclipsed by reporting on Serbian
ethnic minority.

To end with, the report emphasizes some very interesting results on the
representation of ethnic minorities in the Kosovo media; they constitute an
important foundation for additional studies on ethnic minorities’ portrayal in the
media. Thus, the final section presents some recommendations for journalists and
other media people on how to deal with the politics of representation in order to
help creating, among ethnic minorities, the feeling of belonging, of being the part
of Kosovo society.

8
 1 The Glasgow Media
Group has shown
very clearly what a powerful
influence the media can exert
on public attitudes, beliefs
and behaviors, sometimes
developing ways of under-
standing and sometimes
changing existing ways of
understanding
v (Source: Philo, pp. 283 – 288)
Introduction
Communication scholars and researchers have long been interested in the
way ethnic minorities are represented in media and the influences of these
representation on public attitudes. The Glasgow Media Group has shown very
clearly what a powerful influence the media can exert on public attitudes, beliefs
and behaviors, sometimes developing ways of understanding and sometimes
changing existing ways of understanding (Philo, pp. 283 – 288).
Therefore, the media can be very effective in articulating the dominant values
and socio – political ideologies in a society; some scholars even suggest that
minority groups are regularly excluded and marginalized, and the dominant culture
is reinforced as the norm. The media has the power to choose which images
of minorities dominate the public domain, impelling predominantly negative
connotations about minorities whilst eliminating their issues almost completely
from the debate field (Fleras & Kunz 2001, pp. 22 – 43). Moreover, the studies have
demonstrated how media might be very effective in creating the fear of the ‘other’
in society by the way it represents ethnic minorities.
On the other hand, media might be very successful in empowerment of
multicultural values in society; they can help create a feeling of ‘belonging’, a
feeling of being included, of being part of society. Husband (2000, pp. 199 – 214)
for example, emphasizes the role of the media in creating a multiethnic public
sphere, where diverse ethnic groups can feel they are making a contribution.
A significant analysis about the politics of representation and their impact on
culture (‘shared meanings’) is provided by Hall (2003, pp. 2 – 19). He argues that
representation is one of the central practices which produce culture. What is more,
he suggests that opinions and attitudes we have about the ‘others’ depend on
the ways the ‘others’ are represented to us. This means that journalists construct
images of minorities through representation – words they use about them, the
stories they tell about them, the emotions they associate with them, and the values
they place on them.
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2 The media has the
power to choose
which images of minorities
dominate the public domain,
impelling predominantly
negative connotations about
minorities whilst eliminating
their issues almost completely
from the debate field.
v (Source: Fleras & Kunz
2001, pp. 22 – 43)
3 The media represen-
tations of ethnic mi-
norities can play a central role
in the construction of images
of minorities, and as a result
the attitude that majority has
towards them.
v (Source: Allen & Seaton
1999, pp. 178 – 184)
10
Representation of various cultures in media provides the primary materials for
constructing views of the world, behavior, and group and individual identities
(Kellner 1995, pp. 9 – 20). What most people of a certain society know about
ethnic minorities is based on images and narratives constructed by the media.
Allen & Seaton (1999, pp. 178 – 184), on the other hand, suggest that media
representations of ethnic minorities can play a central role in the construction of
images of minorities, and as a result the attitude that majority has towards them.
Therefore, media presentations can affect attitudes toward diverse groups; negative
ethnic portrayals are linked to negative ethnic attitudes, and positive portrayals
are associated with more positive attitudes. The media represent the key player
in influencing the public opinion about ethnic minorities (Van Dijk 2000, pp. 33
– 55). In this context, news is particularly relevant because of its social function
– the construction of reality for the people who were not present at a news event
(Schlesinger 1988, pp. 43 – 45). According to Gillespie (1995, pp. 22 – 49), the
genre which the most determines majority’s attitude towards minorities is news;
on the other hand, news is important for ethnic minorities as well, since it’s one of
the most widely read, watched and discussed genres.
In general, international researches concerning ethnic minorities and the media
have focused mainly on media content, analyzing how ethnic minorities are
represented in the press and how ethnic minority issues are reported by the media.
One of the weaknesses in these kinds of studies is the lack of knowledge about
media perceptions, i.e. the evaluation of the media by ethnic minority audiences
themselves and their attitudes towards these media.
This report, on the other hand, tends to overcome this weakness; besides analyzing
the media content, it includes focus – groups’ discussions with ethnic minority
members. The qualitative analysis of focus groups discussions with the members of
ethnic minorities is essential to elucidate the more critical viewpoint regarding their
perceptions about the representation of ethnic minorities in the media and the ways
in which ethnic minority issues are reported by the media; or as Kitzinger (2004, p.
167) puts it “any theory concerning the media is incomplete if it excludes audiences”.
On the other hand, in order to get a deeper understanding of the problem under
investigation, that is to find out how ethnic minorities are portrayed in Kosovo media
and the reasons of such representation, a series of in depth semi-structured interviews
are carried out with representatives of minorities organizations.
 Therefore, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods and data
4 The genre which the
collection techniques were used to obtain a comprehensive view concerning ethnic
most determines
majority’s attitude towards minorities’ representation in Kosovo media. The idea was through triangulation
minorities is news; on the – the strategy of making studies more reliable, to overcome the weaknesses or
other hand, news is also im-
portant for minorities since biases that come from the use of just one method; according to Jick (1979, pp. 602
it’s one of the most widely – 611), “triangulation is not only examining the same phenomenon from multiple
read, watched and discussed perspectives but also increasing understanding when new or deeper insight
genres.
emerges”.
v (Source: Gillespie 1995,
pp. 22 – 49)

The portrayal of ethnic minorities

in the newspapers and prime time
television news
The ways in which ethnic minorities are represented in the media and the level of
their participation in media news and production, are all considered as indicators
of social involvement and integration. On the other hand, scholars studying gender,
race and ethnic bias in media content typically focus on two primary criteria
identified by Clark (1972, pp. 22 – 31): recognition, or the quantitative presence
of the group of interest (in this case ethnic minorities in comparison with their
representation in the population); and respect, the treatment and status accorded
to this group.

11

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 Print monitoring

The monitoring of Koha Ditore, Express, Kosova Sot, Lajm, Epoka e Re, Bota Sot, and
Zëri was conducted over a 12 week period from March to May 2009; and they were
selected on basis of readership. Monitors coding the newspapers were instructed
to code any item – news report, feature, opinion piece, editorial or letter – which
included the phrases ‘Kosovo’s ethnic minorities’, ‘Serbian minority’, ‘Turkish minority’,
‘Goran minority’, ‘Bosniac minority’, ‘Roma minority’, ‘Egyptian minority’, or ‘Ashkali
minority’.

The newspapers which carried the most coverage of issues relating to ethnic minorities
were Koha Ditore (4.14%), Express (4.05%) and Zëri (3.45%). The national newspapers
carrying the fewest number of articles were Epoka e Re (2.43%), Lajm (2.27%), Bota Sot
(1.99%), and Kosova Sot (1.93%). During the twelve week period of monitoring, more
than 98% of articles were news reports, whilst less than 2% were opinion pieces.

n Newspaper coverage of ethnic minority

Figure 1
issues in the period monitored

100% 0

Koha Ditore % 4.14

Zëri % 4.05

Epoka e Re % 3.45

Lajm % 2.43

Bota Sot % 1.99

Kosova Sot % 1.93

Monitoring 12 weeks

The monitoring findings show that ethnic minorities are, more or less,
under – represented in Kosovo print media; however, these finding, surely suggest
that they are not misrepresented. Therefore, the language in 96% of headlines/sub –
headlines and 91% of text within articles was coded as neutral.

12
The other part was coded as biased (the lack of ethnic diversity in news sources;
the lack of context; headlines and stories didn’t match; ethnic minorities affected
by the issue didn’t have the voice in coverage; and sometimes Serbian minority was
portrayed as ‘loyal to Belgrade’).

Broadcast monitoring

The monitoring of prime time television news of all three national televisions, that
is RTK (Radio Television of Kosova), KTV (Koha Vision) and RTV21 (Radio Television
21) was conducted over a period of six weeks from April to May 2009. The same
coding scheme was used for the content analysis of the broadcast material as for
the print, with some slight changes necessitated by the differences in the televisual
medium and print reporting. The monitoring established that national televisions
tend to report on ethnic minority issues, more than print media; therefore, in
RTK prime time news 8.4% of items were on the subject of ethnic minority issues
compared to KTV with 8.1% of items and RTV21 with 7.1% of items. The average
running time for an item was two to three minutes.

n Television coverage of ethnic minority

Figure 2
issues in the period monitored

100% 0

RTK
% 8.4

KTV % 8.1
RTV21 % 7.1
Monitoring 6 weeks

The monitoring findings revealed that Kosovo national televisions, beside the
quantitative presence of ethnic minorities in prime time news (recognition), focus
also on the treatment and status accorded to this group (respect); they avoid under-
representation and misrepresentation at the same time. Therefore, in general the
tone of language in introductions/headlines referred to ethnic minorities and their
issues was considered to be neutral.

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 Ethnic minorities’ audiences and their
perceptions of Kosovar media
Audience reception research in different European countries shows that ethnic
minorities are, in general, dissatisfied with portrayal of their images in media.
Among ethnic groups in different European countries, including those of EU, there
is a predominant feeling of under-representation or misrepresentation; they also
hold the belief that the media portrayal has an important influence on prejudices
and negative attitudes towards them (Tufte 2001, pp. 33 – 48).

Considering that the findings of various researches on media content keep showing
bias in the representation of ethnic minority groups, this is hardly surprising (Ross
2000, pp. 133 – 148). Conversely, content analysis of this study doesn’t show any
bias in the portrayal of ethnic minorities; yet, ethnic minorities are dissatisfied
with the ways in which they and issues related to them are represented in Kosovo
media. In view of the fact that, according to Poole (2001, pp. 67 – 86), ethnic
minority groups’ perceptions of media are not necessarily proportionally related to
the actual media content, then, there is a need to examine the extent to which the
complaints are related to actual media content;

Serbian ethnic minority members: “That is not who we are”

There was a general feeling of disappointment about the way Serbian ethnic
minority is portrayed in the media. Many participants in focus-groups discussions
felt that their ethnic group was almost never represented properly in TV news. They
held the belief that when they are represented, it is usually a misrepresentation
which emphasizes stereotypes about their connections and loyalty to Belgrade,
and that they are mostly portrayed in a negative way. As one research participant
commented:

14

It’s not difficult to find a
source to reinforce the
idea of Serbian minor-
ity’s loyalty towards Bel-
grade; however, not all
Kosovo Serbs are loyal
to Belgrade. There are
some of us who live in
this country and want
to build a future here.
And, we deserve op-
portunity to express our
opinion in the media.
Serbian male,
age 45
Serbian ethnic minority is underrepresented and stereotyped
in Kosovo media, particularly, in prime time TV news. We are
segregated in specific types of content and in specific ways.
If you analyze a certain story on us you would see negative
stereotyping, generalizations, and a lack of background
information. It’s not difficult to find a source to reinforce the
idea of Serbian minority’s loyalty towards Belgrade; however,
not all Kosovo Serbs are loyal to Belgrade. There are some of us
who live in this country and want to build a future here. And, we
deserve opportunity to express our opinion in the media.
Many research participants said that they feel excluded from Kosovo society and
that the society portrayed in the media is not at all the multicultural society they
want to see. Taken as a whole, they did not feel that they are being taken seriously
as an audience, or even as members of Kosovo society. Some participants even said
they had lost hope in Kosovo media, and did not believe an effort was being made
to show diversity. For example, one said:
We are supposed to be equal citizens in this country. There
should be more news on Serbian minority and their issues on
television, particularly in prime time TV news. Television should
reflect a multicultural society and not a biased image of a
mono-ethnic society.
Another research participant pointed out that the Kosovo media constantly are
constructing a false reality which is shocking for all members of society, one of the
participants said:
The media, in general, are constructing ethnic minorities as
‘others’, by using a discourse based on ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ syndrome.
Some focus-groups participants believed that prejudice against Serbian ethnic
minority is based on a lack of knowledge about their problems and that is why
media should focus on providing the information and improving the knowledge of
Kosovo Albanians about this minority. For example, one of them said:
15
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 People have the wrong idea about us; they are accusing us for
taking money from Belgrade. But they forget that this is the
only way for us to survive. The unemployment rate in Kosovo is
too high, and it’s very hard for an ordinary Serbian to find a job
The media, in general,
are constructing ethnic from which he/she might support his/her family.
minorities as ‘others’,
by using a discourse When talking about news representations, the research participants were even
based on ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ more dissatisfied. The explanations about news representation made by them
syndrome.
were dissimilar to research findings from content analysis. That is because, their
Serbian female,
age 41 complaints were related to the content of prime time TV news and newspaper
articles, in the past; as many of them said “it is very difficult to change people’s
opinions once they are formed”. In general, the participants argued that there is
only coverage about Serbian ethnic community, and that is when something bad
happens, like protesting in northern Mitrovica against Kosovo’s independence.

The participants criticized the fact that diversity within Serbian ethnic community
is being ignored completely. There is much diversity in opinions and attitudes
within Serbian community. They are opposed to being treated as one homogenous
ethnic group, because such thing, as they said, doesn’t exist. The complaint was
made that when a member of a Serbian ethnic minority is interviewed about a
topic, those statements are considered to be the opinion of the whole community.

Non-Serbian ethnic minority members: “We are eclipsed by

reporting on Serbian minority”

While Serbian minority members are dissatisfied with Kosovo media about the
ways in which they are represented and the ways in which their issues are reported,
the other minorities such as Bosniacs, Turkish, Gorans, Montenegro’s and RAE
complaint about, as most of them said, “the fact that Kosovo media is ignoring
them completely”.

The research participants who belonged to these ethnic minorities felt that
the main representation of ethnic minority on television prime time news was
of Serbian, and could only think of limited examples of representation of their
communities. As one of participants said:

16
 Being a member of non-Serbian ethnic minority in Kosovo
means being completely excluded from the media. Hardly ever
you might find a story in TV prime time news about non-Serbian
minorities. The media don’t see us; in fact we are eclipsed by
Hardly ever you reporting on Serbian minority.
might find a story
on TV prime The Goran participants also felt strongly that they were not represented on
time news about television or even in the wider context of Kosovo society. One of them said:
non-Serbian
minorities. The I don’t think Gorans are represented at all.
media don’t see
us; in fact we Additionally, focus groups participants of Goran ethnic minority pointed out that
are eclipsed by there was no coverage of economic problems in Dragash municipality (Sharr), and
the other problems this community faces with. As one of them emphasised:
reporting on Ser-
bian minority.
Every day I buy at least one Albanian newspaper, and believe
Bosniac male,
me since last year I haven’t seen a single article about Gorans;
age 37
even more disappointing is that RTK, as the only public
broadcaster hasn’t had a story about us for months. In fact,
RTK had a story on an old man who applied for a pension in
Serbia; this man just wanted to get the money he gave to the
pension fund for 38 years and RTK labeled him and all Gorans
as people loyal to Belgrade.
I don’t think Gorans are
represented at all Therefore, research participant who belonged to non-Serbian ethnic minorities
Goran male, age 55 were very disappointed in the Kosovo media, and the news media especially. They
felt very sad about under representation in the media, which is happening to them.
Overall the respondents felt excluded; of course, those feelings of grief influence
them to think as they were not the part of Kosovo society.

17

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 Conclusions and recommendations
The research sought to examine how ethnic minorities are represented and how
ethnic minorities’ issues are reported in Kosovo media. Therefore, the study, through
qualitative and quantitative methods, aimed at a) analyzing ethnic bias in media
content by focusing on two primary criteria: recognition, or the quantitative presence
of ethnic minorities in comparison with their representation in the population, and
respect, the treatment and status accorded to this group; and, b) understanding
the perceptions and opinions of ethnic minorities’ audiences regarding current
representation of minority ethnic groups in prime time television news and
newspapers.

What emerges from this study is that although the analysis of media content doesn’t
detect any kind of ethnic minorities’ misrepresentation, the members of ethnic
minorities living in Kosovo have their complaints about the ways in which they are
represented and their issues are reported in the media.

Therefore, the print and broadcast monitoring findings suggest that there is no
evidence of misrepresentation of ethnic minorities; in general, the tone of language
in headlines/sub-headlines (for print) and introductions/headlines (for broadcast), as
well as the texts, referred to ethnic minorities and their issues was considered to be
neutral (most of coded items had a broad spectrum of sources; there was no loaded
language; stories and reports on important issues were featured prominently on front
pages of newspapers and lead stories on televisions; the items provided the context,
there was enough relevant information about issues).

In contrast to this, the members of ethnic minorities complain about the ways in
which they are portrayed and their issues are reported in Kosovo media. The focus-
groups participants who belong to Serbian ethnic minority held the belief that when
they are represented, it is usually a misrepresentation which emphasizes stereotypes
about their connections and loyalty to Belgrade, and that they are mostly portrayed
in a negative way. They also believed that prejudice against Serbian ethnic minority
is based on a lack of knowledge about their problems and that is why media
should focus on providing the information and improving the knowledge of Kosovo
Albanians about this minority.

The participants criticized the fact that diversity within Serbian ethnic community
is ignored completely. The complaint was made also that when a member of a

18
Serbian ethnic minority is interviewed about a certain topic, those statements are
represented as the opinion of the whole community.

On the other hand, non-Serbian ethnic minorities complain because of, as they
said, “media negligence towards them and issues related to them”. Therefore, the
research participants who belonged to these ethnic minorities felt that the main
representation of ethnic minority on television prime time news was of Serbian, and
could only think of limited examples of representation of their communities. They
were very sad about their under representation in the media. Overall non-Serbian
respondents felt excluded from Kosovo media, which influences them to think as
they were not the part of Kosovo society.

Recommendations

• The organization of seminars and training courses for journalists and media people
on the subject of the politics of representation and multiculturalism.

• The media should focus on promoting the multicultural approach to prime time
television news and avoid the approach that presents society in mono-cultural terms.

• The media should report on behavior of certain individual without linking it to a

person’s ethnic origin.

• Avoiding generalizations, that is when a member of a certain ethnic minority is

interviewed about a certain topic, those statements should be represented as the
individuals’ opinion and not as the opinion of the whole community.

• The media, particularly, the print, should consider the benefits of recruiting ethnic
minorities’ journalists, in different Kosovo municipalities, who could provide specific
insight into issues relating to the ethnic minorities.

• The lack of feature articles during the periods of monitoring is undoubtedly a factor
in the insufficiency of representation of ethnic minority issues in the media coverage.
Therefore, the focus on feature stories about various issues concerning ethnic
minorities might explore any issue in great depth or allow an individual, or members
of a certain ethnic minority group, the space to represent their views in a considered
and meaningful way.

19

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 Appendix
Research Methodology

Methodologically, the research strategy was based on a combination of qualitative

and quantitative approaches; different data collection techniques were used in order
to understand the ways in which media represent ethnic minorities’ issues in Kosovo.
Therefore, the research was based on three methods, which are, content analysis,
focus groups and interviews. On the other hand, the obtained data were presented
statistically (with the use of percentages) and quotations that provided an overall
perception and detailed analysis of the problem under investigation.

Content Analysis

In the beginning of the research a content analysis was conducted with the purpose of
having descriptive evidence about the representation of ethnic minorities and issues
related to them in Kosovo media. It is one of very few research methods that can be
employed qualitatively or quantitatively, opening up a wide array of methodological
possibilities (Hesse-Biber & Leavy 2006, p. 279).

Therefore, content analysis is the analysis of text documents and it can be quantitative,
qualitative or both. Researchers quantify and analyze the presence, meanings and
relationships of such words and concepts, then make inference about the messages
within the texts. This is what we have done in the research; after establishing
the research question(s) that is how ethnic minority issues are portrayed in the
media, we have employed a) the conceptual analysis (establishing the existence
and frequency of phrases, ‘Kosovo’s ethnic minorities’, ‘Serbian minority’, ‘Turkish
minority’, ‘Goran minority’, ‘Bosniac minority’, ‘Roma minority’, ‘Egyptian minority’, or
‘Ashkali minority’); and b) relational analysis (which seeks to go beyond presence by
exploring the relationships between the phrases). The core idea was that individual
phrases, in themselves, have no inherent meaning; rather, meaning is a product of the
relationships among phrases in a text.

Focus Groups

In order to obtain detailed information about the problem under investigation, 7

focus groups discussions (3 Serbian, 1 RAE, 1 Bosniac, 1 Goran and 1 Turkish) with
35 participants were conducted. Of course, the sample size of focus groups methods
are too small and the results can’t be generalized; however, focus groups are widely

20
respected for bringing out information that might be missed by a statistical study, and
accordingly they offer a deeper understanding of the phenomenon under examination
(Lydecker in Quible 1998, pp. 28 – 33).

Quota sampling design was used to ensure inclusion of adequate number of woman
and minority groups; and, the field work was conducted from 15 March to 20 July
2009. The groups were selected to cover also a range of demographics such as age and
class within Kosovar ethnic minorities. The core idea is that people were selected for
study on the grounds that they were available, convenient to access and prepared to
participate.

Interview

The interview as qualitative method was used with the intention to provide detailed
information concerning the research problem. This approach enables to explore
and understand in depth the opinions of professionals regarding the topic under
investigation. According to Hesse-Biber & Leavy (2006, p. 119) interviews are a process
of meaning-making endeavor embarked on as a partnership between the interviewer
and his or her respondent… they can be used to yield exploratory, descriptive and
explanatory data. Qualitative interviews are designed to get at “deep” information
or knowledge (Jonson, 2002, p. 104). What is more, interviews can be used also in
conjunction with other methods, particularly, focus groups.

In this context, there were conducted a series of in depth semi-structure interviews

which promote an active conversation. The main advantages of these kinds of
interviews are: they are useful to obtain detailed information about personal feelings,
perceptions and opinions, allow more detailed questions to be asked, usually achieve a
high response rate and ambiguity can be clarified.

Triangulation

The research was based on three methods, a) content analysis – results were presented
in form of numbers and statistics, attempting an explanation of the problem under
observation; b) focus groups – results were presented in form of quotations, trying
to give a complete detailed description of the phenomenon under investigation; and
c) interviews – results were presented in form of quotations, attempting to provide
a comprehensive explanation of the issue under examination. The combination of
quantitative and qualitative methods has been used, since according to Yauch &
Steudel (2003, pp. 465 – 481), “triangulation produces more robust results than could
be accomplished using a single approach”.

21

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 Bibliography

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