CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF INTERLOCUCTORS IN TV NEWS PACKAGES ON THE POSTELECTION PROCESS AT PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Sa？etak This paper aims to explore the basic criteria for selection of interlocutors in TV news packages on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s post-election process in the central information programs of public broadcasting services in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Having clear rules on the representation of candidates and parties during the election campaign, after the elections, media have more freedom in the way of processing the information and topics. Therefore, this period is chosen for the analysis. Besides, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a complex state with a complicated electoral system. The delegates for House of Peoples are elected after the election. Therefore, the post-election process has a more significant role in authority constitution than in other European countries and it is important to research the media reports on this process. The first part of the paper presents the theoretical framework related to the equal treatment of people. There is a possibility for many forms of bias, and interlocutors whose attitudes are synchronized with the editorial policy are called “opportunistic witnesses”. The second part of the paper deals with the discussion on the research results. The results refer to the absolute and relative representation of the interlocutors’ party or institutional affiliation; the representation of analysts and their positions. They can be neutral or prefer certain party policies. Also, it is about the means of implementing the rules of the other side in the TV news packages on the post-election process. The central news program Dnevnik in three different public broadcasting services in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT, RTVFBiH and RTVRS) is taken as a sample in the period from the October 8 to November 8, 2018. The results show the degree of bias in the selection of interlocutors in public broadcasting service programs