FOREIGN MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST – POLITICAL INFLUENCE OR A CONTRIBUTION TO DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This paper analyzes the role of foreign media in promoting the public interest in Bosnia and Herzegovina within the context of a politically fragmented and economically vulnerable media system. The research focuses on the activities of international media actors such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Al Jazeera Balkans, which over the past decades have represented an important source of alternative information and professional journalistic standards in the Western Balkans region. The methodological framework is based on a qualitative approach that includes an analysis of relevant academic literature and semi structured interviews with university professors and experts in media and communication studies. The results indicate that foreign media have contributed to information pluralism and the promotion of issues of public interest, particularly in the areas of anti corruption efforts, human rights, and political accountability. At the same time, respondents emphasize that the activities of these media outlets should also be viewed within the broader context of international communication strategies and the concept of soft power. The analysis further shows that international financial support has significantly influenced the development of the media sector, as international donors have invested tens of millions of euros in the development of media and journalistic capacities in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the past decades. In the context of declining international funding and the closure of certain foreign editorial offices, questions arise regarding the sustainability of the domestic media system and its capacity to independently ensure information pluralism and the protection of the public interest.