Radojevic: The media in the UK only write about Kosovo when something dramatic happens

British media report on Kosovo and the Balkans generally quite rarely, except in cases when something dramatic happens, Dejan Radojevic, a BBC journalist, says for Kosovo Online, adding that there are not many people left in the newsrooms who understand the Balkans.

Radojevic reminds that the 1990s and the wars have passed and that other things on the international scene are now far more dramatic than what is happening in the Balkans.

"There are exceptions, such as when something dramatic happens in Kosovo or the rest of the Balkans, like violence when Albanian mayors took over buildings in four municipalities with majority Serbian population in northern Kosovo last year, when those dramatic scenes of conflict occurred. This found its place in the news on television, and those pictures appeared on foreign policy pages," our interlocutor states.

He also mentions that occasionally, since the war began in Ukraine, there have been some texts warning that Russia is trying to destabilize the Balkans through Serbia.

"This primarily comes from the Kosovo government, from Prime Minister Albin Kurti and President Osmani. There is expressed concern and their warnings that Serbia could send troops to Kosovo, primarily under the influence of Russia, as it is in Russia's interest to destabilize another part of Europe besides Ukraine," Radojevic explains.

Regarding foreign policy topics followed in Great Britain, the first is the war in Gaza, the second is the war in Ukraine, and the third are events in the United States, especially in an election year. He adds that British media focus on countries that are close and with which Britain has cultural, trade, and economic ties, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, or Ireland.

Furthermore, he reminds us that there has been a generational shift in newsrooms over the last 15-20 years.

"People who reported from the Balkans during the wars of the 1990s and in the first few years of this century have either retired or are no longer alive. There is no longer expertise in newsrooms, if I may say so, there are not many people who know about the Balkans and understand the Balkans, and on the other hand, newsrooms are also under economic pressure," Radojevic evaluates.

He reminds us that newsrooms, especially newspapers, have been under great pressure in the last fifteen years because people increasingly read news online rather than buying newspapers, which means newsrooms have trouble monetizing their product.

"There have been layoffs of journalists in a large number of newsrooms. And if you now have fewer journalists, then you cannot assign them to write about the Balkans or investigate Kosovo if you have to put them to write about British matters and other foreign policy topics that are more important and interesting for the local citizens, audience, readers, and viewers. I think the BBC is the only British media outlet that has a reporter covering the Balkans," our interlocutor emphasizes.

Regarding a recent report by the British Telegraph, he says the paper was mocked for it, especially by people who follow the Balkans.

"There were a lot of people on Twitter, I saw comments from Pristina, Belgrade, and other cities in Europe where people mocked the fact that someone appeared in body armor with a helmet in Kosovo, where there is no conflict. I'm not sure that was a particularly successful attempt to report on the Balkans," Radojevic concludes.