Credibility in Local and State

Media: Comparative Analysis of

Headlines in Serbian Press
Ivana Mitić, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Niš
ivana.mitic@filfak.ni.ac.rs
Table of contents
• Introduction
• Previous research
• Our research
• Hypothesis and predictions
• Corpus
• Pilot research
• Local and state media
• Niške narodne novine vs. Politika; Local and state newspapers
• The task of the headlines
• Position and visibility of the headlines
• The main day – reaching credibility using visibility
• Lexical structure, frequency and credibility
• Credibility, structure of the headlines and sounds
• The connection between lexical structure and discursive strategy - conclusion

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Introduction
• Media shape public opinion!
• Control the meaning that an entire event may have in the public (Zhang,
2015).
• The visibility of the event in the state and in the local media
• State media control the meaning of the entire event in the Republic of Serbia
• Local media control the meaning of the entire event in the town

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 Previous research
• Two forms of credibility (Bucy, 2003):
1. Media credibility – perception of newsmakers’ believability.
2. Source credibility – trustworthiness and expertise of message senders
or speakers.
• Frames of the news influence readers’ choices regarding the way they
process that information (Chong and Druckman, 2007; Scheufele, 2000).
• Discursive strategy of argumentation - intentional plan of practices adopted
to achieve a particular social, political, psychological or linguistic aim (Reisigl
& Wodak, 2001)
• Relies on topoi - part of argument schemes that can connect the premise of
an argument to its conclusion (Kwon, Clarke & Wodak, 2014).
• Maksimović (2016) – structure of headlines, functions and context

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 Our research
• Subject: analysis of headlines about „Gifting the Niš airport“
• The perception of the news about the “gifting of Niš airport” will be explored
depending on the source behind the headlines:
• 1) the local media or the state media and 2) the politicians in power, such as
president Vučić and the minister of infrastructure, Zorana Mihajlović.
• First aim: to identify the discursive strategies used to make the event visible in
the media and to reach the effect of credibility
• Second aim: compare the lexical structure of the headlines from the main
local and from the state newspapers and find connection between the lexical
structure and the effect of credibility

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 Hypothesis and predictions
• Local media use discursive strategies discrediting the people who are behind
the unauthorized taking of the airport
• In the local media, the focus will be on “unauthorized taking over”, while in
the state media it will be on helping Niš airport survive
• Different linguistic structure of headlines in local and in state media – using
different type of words and words with different kind of conotations in local
and in the state media

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 Corpus
• Pilot research: The corpus presented in this presentation is based on an
analysis of headlines conducted from March 30th to April 13th.
• Local media: Južne vesti, Niške novine, Zona plus and state Večernje novosti,
Politika, Danas and from the public media service Radio Television of Serbia
(RTS).
• The main research: The corpus presented in this presentation is based on an
analysis of headlines conducted from March 30th to April 30th and 23. June
• The headlines used in the analysis were excerpted from local newspaper Niške
narodne novine (20) and state newspaper Politika (18) (electronic version)

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 Pilot research
• State media
• The analysed headlines present the view of minister Mihajlović on this
topic.
• [1] Mihajlović: Niš nema novca za aerodrom  (Danas) / 'Mihajlović: City
of Niš doesn’t have money for the airport.'
• [2] Mihajlović građanima: Aerodrom ostaje u Nišu, sve ostaje isto, samo
će država sada više ulagati u razvoj (Blic) / 'Mihajlović to the citizens:
The airport stays in Niš, everything will be the same, but the state will
invest more in the development.'
• [3] Mihajlović: Nastavićemo da ulažemo u niški aerodrom (RTS) /
'Mihajlović: We will continue to invest in Niš airport.'
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• Local media
• [4] Mihajlovićeva: Niko neće staviti aerodrom pod mišku i odneti ga iz Niša
(Niške vesti) / 'Mihajlović: No one will take Niš airport under their arm and go
away with it.'
• [5] Ministarka Mihajlović: Niški aerodrom je bio i ostaće državni (Južne vesti) /
'Minister Mihajlović: Niš airport was and will remain state ownership.'
• [6] MIHAJLOVIĆ: DRŽAVA ĆE RAZVIJATI NIŠKI AERODROM! (Zona plus) /
'MIHAJLOVIĆ: THE STATE WILL DEVELOP NIŠ AIRPORT!'

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 Local and state media
• In the state media ([1] – [3]), the emphasis is on giving money, or lack of
money.
• The frame of responsibility is based on the usage of verbs, such as to
develop, to invest
• These kinds of strategies are used to achieve the effect of credibility of
the sender of information
• In the local media it can be noticed that statements are based on the
conflict between the state and Niš ([4] no one vs. Niš; [5] Niš airport (the
Serbian adjective “niški” suggests ownership) and Niš airport is state
ownership (the Serbian adjective “državni” shows that the ownership is
in the hands of the state); [6] the Republic of Serbia vs. Niš airport).

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• Pragmatically, the negation is used to exert the main semantic effect: we will
“save” the airport and you must believe this information
• That kind of strategy is used to achieve the effect of helping while discrediting
the effect of unauthorized taking over
• It seems that this kind of strategy reduces the effect of credibility of the
sender of information (minister).

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 Niške narodne novine vs. Politika
Local and state newspapers
• The function of the headlines – the main information: media and source
credibility. How to measure that?
• 1. The task of the headlines – a) to present the information, b) to inform, c) to
influence the readers attention – media credibility
• 2. The position of the headlines
• Visibility of the headlines – the main page or not? – Top information,
Informator, Politics, Economy, or Serbia?

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 The task of the headlines
• a) To present the information, b) to inform, c) to influence the readers attention
by including the reader – media credibility
• Niške narodne novine: (a), (b), (c)
• [1] Bilo da je vlasnik Republika ili grad – on je niški / 'Whether the owner is a
Reublic or a City – The airport is Niš’s'
• [2] Niški aerodrom više nije niški / 'Niš airport does not belong to Niš anymore'.
• Politika (a), (b)
• [3] Država preuzima niški aerodrom / ’The State is taking over the Niš airport'.
• [4] Niški aerodrom „Konstantin Veliki“ dat državi na upravljanje / 'Niš airport
Constantine the Great was given to the State for management'

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 Position and visibility of the headlines

• Niške narodne novine – the main page; the part top information, or part
Informator
• Politika – the main page; part Economy, Politics, or part Serbia (source Tanjug,
Beta)
• NN: [1] Niš kao centar dešavanja: Niška vazdušna luka prelazi u vlasništvo
države / 'Niš as the center of events: Niš airport passes into state ownership'
• P: [2] Niš ustupa aerodrom državi. / 'Niš is giving away the airport to the State.'
• Information about the source of the event, position of the event – neutral, or
with the aim to direct to the some third person (local and state media –
credibility in local media – we are the part of the Niš; state media – Niš is part of
the Serbia, event is located in Niš, we only report about the event in Niš)

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 The main day – reaching credibility using
visibility
• Narodne niške novine: the main page (part: top information): НА СЕДНИЦИ
СКУПШТИНЕ ГРАДА ОДЛУЧЕНО: АЕРОДРОМ ˮКОНСТАНТИН ВЕЛЛИКИˮ ДАТ ДРЖАВИ
НА УПРАВЉАЊЕ –/ 'AT THE SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE CITY WAS DECIDED:
The airport Constantine the Great was given to the State for management'.
• ОДБОРНИЦИ ВЕЋИНОМ ГЛАСОВА ОДЛУЧИЛИ АЕРОДРОМ ПРЕЛАЗИ У ДРЖАВНЕ
РУКЕ / 'Councilors decided by majority vote Airport passes into the State hands'.
• ˮЗаˮ класало 43 одборника, 8 против, један уздржан / '43 Councilors voted YES, 8
NO, 1 abstained'
• Politika: the main page (part Serbia) Нишлије одлучиле да аеродром преузме
држава / 'Citizens of Niš decided that State should take over the airport'
• “Аеродромом ˮКонстантин Велики управљаће државаˮ / 'The airport Konstantin
the Great will be managed by the State'

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 Lexical structure, frequency and credibility
• Adjectives:
• Niške narodne novine: niški aerodrom 'Niš airport', niški odbornici 'Niš councilors', niška
vazdušna luka 'Niš airport', državne ruke ’state hands', državna svojina 'state property'
• Politika: Nišlije i niški aerodrom; 'Citizens of Niš and Niš airport'
• Verbs:
• Niške narodne novine: prelaziti 'to cross', nemati 'not having', biti potreban 'to be needed',
pripadati 'to belong', ne odustati 'not to give up’
• Politika: ustupiti 'cede', ne biti u stanju 'not being able', dati 'to give', preuzeti 'taking over',
nemati 'not having'
• Nouns:
• Niške narodne novine: ulaganje 'investment', odluka 'decision', prenos 'transfer', oduzimanje
'subtraction'
• Politika: ustupanje 'cession', otimanje 'taking away', držanje 'holding'

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 Credibility, structure of the headlines and
sounds
• The choice of the words – the sounds of the words and the choice of the
words – to direct the readers attention
• REPETITION or/and disjunction
• Positive and negative forms and meanings
• Niške narodne novine: [1] Niški aerodrom više nije niški / 'Niš airport does not
belong to Niš anymore'
• Niške narodne novine: [2] Bilo da je vlasnik država ili grad aerodrom je niški
'Whether the owner is a Republic or a City – The airport belongs to Niš'
• Politika: [3] Otimanje grada Nišlijama ili držanje u dužničkom ropstvu –
negative / 'Taking the city from it’s citizens or holding in debt slavery'

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 The connection between lexical structure
and discursive strategy – conclusion
• Niške narodne novine: to inform the citizens of Niš with the current
information – to provoke meaning „we are on the same page and we dont
have airport anymore“
• Niške narodne novine: Za održavanje i razvoj potrebne milijarde / For
maintenance and development billions are needed – Grad nema te pare / 'City
of Niš doesn’t have that money'
• Niške narodne novine: U celom svetu aerodromi pripadaju državi / 'Airports
belong to the state all over the world'.
• Politika – explain the reason with the aim to inform: reaching credibility by
finding the reason: zbog aerodroma/predaje/promene vlasništva ’because of
the airport/surrender/change of ownership
• Politika: Grad Niš nije u stanju da finansira aerodrom 'The city of Niš is not
able to finance the airport'.

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 Credibility in Local and State
Media: Comparative Analysis of
Headlines in Serbian Press
Ivana Mitić, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Niš
ivana.mitic@filfak.ni.ac.rs
References
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3. Kwon W, Clarke I and Wodak R (2014) Micro‐level discursive strategies for constructing
shared views around strategic issues in team meetings. Journal of Management
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4. Maksimović, J (2016) Linguistic and stylistic characteristics of newspaper news and
press reports. PhD thesis. Kragujevac: Faculty of Philology and Arts.
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antisemitism. London: Routledge.
6. Zhang W (2015) Discourse of resistance: Articulations of national cultural identity in
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Communication 9(3): 355-370.

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