MORAL PANIC IN THE NARRATIVES OF ONLINE MEDIA IN SERBIA

Abstract

Moral panic is a social phenomenon in which a particular event, group, or issue is perceived as a serious threat, provoking exaggerated reactions from the media, authorities, and the general public. The media play a significant role in the production and spread of moral panic, often exaggerating events to achieve personal, economic, or political goals, rather than focusing on the need for institutional changes. The concept of moral panic was popularized in sociology by Stanley Cohen in 1972 in his work Folk devils and moral panics, in which he defined the key elements of moral panic, including the role of the media. This paper examines whether elements of moral panic appear in the headlines of online media in Serbia regarding the environmental protest against lithium mining in western Serbia, titled "There will be no mining," held on August 10, 2024, in Belgrade. The analysis uses Cohen’s criteria— exaggeration and distortion, prediction and symbolization. The unit of analysis consists of headlines from online media outlets Politika, Danas, and N1 (quality media/serious), Informer and Alo (tabloids), and Blic (semi-tabloid) covering the mentioned protest. A total of 160 headlines from the mentioned media outlets were analyzed. The method of quantitative-qualitative content analysis shows that all the analyzed media use all elements of creating moral panic in their headlines related to the protest, according to Cohen's model. This means that they use sensationalistic, dramatic, and often exaggerated headlines. Additionally, certain elements of the protest are presented in a way that suggests they will recur with even more severe consequences, and the protest itself, the participants, as well as lithium mining, are often depicted through symbols. Although elements of moral panic are evident in all media, tabloids dominate its creation. This research contributes to the theoretical and empirical understanding of the moral panic phenomenon, with a particular focus on the role of the media in its production. The application of Cohen's moral panic model to the specific case of the environmental protest in Serbia offers a new perspective on how different types of media (quality media, tabloids, and semi-tabloids) shape public opinion, and the perception of social issues.Through the analysis of headlines in online media, the research provides insight into how, and to what extent the media use elements of moral panic, such as exaggeration and distortion, prediction, and symbolization. These elements are used to shape the narrative about the protests, which can have long-term social, political, and ecological consequences