Misrepresentation of the Bosnian War by Western media

Abstract

In this paper I intend to analyse war reporting in Bosnian War. I am working in Foucaultian tradition of understanding discourse as a tool of power and Lacanian tradition of understanding phantasm as a imaginary scenario that gives one understanding of his social role and his way of desiring. I intend to expose, how war reporting uses traditional stereotypes in explaining the war in Bosnia. In my research I go beyond narrative analysis and expose political value of such reporting. Relaying on the concept of phantasm I try to expose how the stereotypic reporting creates the passive position of reader: he is concerned but he cannot do much in this irrational, tribal war. In this way sensational, stereotypical reporting actually contributed to prevailing policy of passivity that was partially responsible for prolongation of the conflict.

Keywords

• War reporting
• Bosnian War
• discursive power
• fantasy