The trend of the dominance of digital media over traditional ones continues, alongside a strongly present perception that the media in Montenegro are under strong political influence, as well as that the authorities and state institutions obstruct investigative journalism. The public broadcaster RTCG represents the primary source of information for 28.1% of respondents, while 18.3% are oriented towards other television stations. At the same time, the majority (57.6%) would not be willing to pay a subscription fee for RTCG. These are some of the key findings of the public opinion survey on citizens’ attitudes towards the media in Montenegro, presented today by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), within the project “Media for Democracy: Strengthening RTCG’s Independence for Montenegro’s Future”, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In a detailed presentation of the research findings, Nikola Obradović, Programme Associate at the CCE, stated that the data confirm the trend of the dominance of digital media over traditional forms of information, similar to the findings from last year’s wave of the research.
News and political content are the most widely viewed, followed by entertainment and sports, while documentary, cultural and educational programmes are significantly less represented.
Opinions on the role and manner of operation of the media are highly divided, with a pronounced perception of their exposure to political pressure. “The largest number of respondents believe that the editorial orientation of the media in Montenegro is influenced to a large or certain extent by the political affiliations of owners (74.1%), that the media tend towards sensationalism (70.2%), that the authorities and state bodies obstruct investigative journalism (69.1%), as well as that the media often ‘pass judgement’ before court decisions (64.4%),” Obradović stated. At the same time, 62.9% of respondents agree to a certain extent with the claim that the media protect democracy, while 62.2% believe that the media adhere to the ethical code.
As expected, independence from political parties is perceived as the strongest guarantee of truthful and impartial reporting, alongside the professionalism of editors and journalists, as well as the economic independence of the media.
“The findings also show that around 60% of respondents recognise the social role of the media as a watchdog over political and economic power, which confirms awareness of their importance in protecting the public interest, despite the strong influence of powerful actors,” explained Nikola Obradović.
When it comes to social media, Facebook and Instagram are the most followed platforms, while YouTube and TikTok also have a significant audience, whereas X and Threads are far less represented.
In situations involving important events in Montenegro, the majority of respondents (53.6%) inform themselves through several television channels. The public broadcaster RTCG is the primary source of information for 28.1% of respondents, while 18.3% follow other television stations.
Web portals are the most frequently used source for daily information (28.8%), followed by friends and acquaintances (23.6%), electronic media – radio and television (20.2%) and social media (20%). Printed media are used by only 5.7% of respondents.
The polarisation of attitudes towards the media is further illustrated by the fact that 17.4% of respondents are willing to forgive their favourite media outlet for spreading false information about people they dislike, while 29.4% are willing to forgive this if it was not done intentionally. At the same time, less than one fifth of respondents (18.2%) would not forgive such behaviour under any circumstances.
In the section of the research concerning RTCG, the data show that the largest number of respondents watch the public broadcaster several times a week (33.9%), followed by daily viewers (28.2%), while 26.8% watch RTCG occasionally. At the same time, 11.1% of respondents state that they never watch the programmes of the public broadcaster. Partial trust in RTCG’s news programme is expressed by 55.2% of respondents, full trust by 24.1%, while 13% state that they do not trust this programme at all.
“The majority of respondents (58.4%) believe that RTCG partially fulfils its mission of reporting in the public interest. Less than a quarter (23.4%) believe that it does so fully, while 12% believe that the public broadcaster does not fulfil this mission at all. The analysis of citizens’ attitudes shows a contrasting picture of RTCG’s work. Although citizens give moderate ratings to the balance in covering political options (3.17) and objectivity in reporting (3.15), they simultaneously recognize RTCG’s professionalism (3.27) as well as its strong political influence (3.31), while independence received the lowest average score (2.79),” Obradović said.
When it comes to RTCG’s debate programmes, opinions are divided: 27.6% of respondents believe that they bring together substantive opponents, 39.8% believe that participants come from different positions but are mostly in agreement, while 32.6% could not determine their position on this issue.
RTCG’s web portal is followed by 41.3% of respondents, while 58.7% do not follow it. Among those who do follow the portal, the majority are to a certain extent satisfied with the quality of its content.
Most respondents believe that RTCG partially treats all political options equally (38%) and that it reports on events related to specific groups or individuals partially and without favouritism (47.9%). A smaller number believe that this is done fully, while a significant share perceive bias or are unable to assess the objectivity of reporting.
“The majority of citizens (57.6%) would not be willing to pay a subscription fee for RTCG if it were introduced, while 16.9% would do so exclusively if there were a legal obligation. Only 3.7% of respondents would be willing to pay a subscription, while 21.8% are unsure or would make their decision based on the quality of the programme,” Obradović concluded.
The expert part of the research was conducted by the Damar Institute from 9 to 16 December, with application of CAPI method, on a three-stage, stratified, random sample of 1,010 adult citizens of Montenegro.
Maja Marinović, Programme Associate