On the occasion of August 12, International Youth Day, Mreža za mlade Crne Gore organized an event presenting the national research "The place of youth in the media – National research on the visibility, representation, and participation of youth in the media in Montenegro."
The event was held with the support of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), and its key message is that youth should be given more space to independently speak about issues that concern them and actively participate in creating media content and public policies.
The research, which covered more than 1,000 online articles, about 3,200 comments, and 625 television reports, showed that youth are still more often a topic others talk about than equal interlocutors expressing their own views. In the analyzed online articles, youth were recognized as active participants in only 18 percent of cases.
Regarding topics, education, security, and activism are the most represented in reporting about youth, together making up about two-thirds of the analyzed content. On the other hand, the economy, material status, and other issues that youth often cite as key problems are significantly less present.
A particular challenge is the tone of public discussion on the internet. As much as 81 percent of analyzed comments had a negative tone, while on content related to security that share was 94 percent. Such results show that the way youth are presented in the media also influences the formation of public attitudes towards them.
A similar situation was recorded in television programming. In almost 70 percent of analyzed shows, youth were not present either as a topic or as interlocutors, while content related to youth made up only 8.1 percent of the total program. Even when represented, in more than half of the cases, journalists, guests, and other interlocutors speak about youth without their direct voice.
It was concluded that it is not enough just to increase the number of content dedicated to youth. It is necessary to enable them to be active interlocutors, commentators, activists, and experts, as well as to participate in discussions about education, healthcare, the economy, European integrations, and all other areas that affect their lives.
During the event, the new visual identity and website of Mreža za mlade Crne Gore were also presented, marking a new phase in the organization's development. The new identity connects the national context, youth, and the values on which the Network's activities are based.
Mreža za mlade Crne Gore will continue in the upcoming period, through cooperation with youth, media, and partner organizations, to work on greater visibility of youth topics and creating space for more active participation of youth in social processes.