The presence of “fake news” and potentially manipulative content in the media is nothing new, but this area has largely expanded with the emergence of the Internet and digital media, thus opening itself up to anyone who has online access. As a result, there is an increasing amount of such content in the media, especially in digital media. This paper deals with the perception of fake news and potentially manipulative content by various generations—in particular, the perceptions of the young and the middle-aged generations, with the focus being on their ability to recognise, verify, and relate to such content. The results of this study were gained by means of a qualitative methodology applied to focus groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results are presented through a thematic analysis of the differences in perception of “fake news” between these generations, firstly in terms of their apprehension and interpretation of it, and secondly in terms of their relation to it. The authors conclude that both generations lack competence concerning media literacy, and that providing education in the field of digital media might offer a long-term solution for building resistance to “fake news” for future generations.

Despite the fact that disinformation exists beyond the mass media, space in the media sphere, especially the virtual one, leaves the possibility that disinformation can spread easier and faster, as well as reach a large audience of users of social networks, ie. digital media. With the arrival of the coronavirus, there was a greater need for information, but at the same time the amount of misinformation from various intentions and sources increased. The development of information and communication technologies, ways of communicating and disseminating media content, on the other hand, is in stark contrast to the process of developing media education in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the level of media literacy of citizens who are not ready for new ways of communicating, sources of information and the procedure of participation in the creation of media content. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, media education is not part of the compulsory education system and because of that in this paper we will talk about the attitude of citizens towards misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic, given the level of their general education with the aim of determining whether the level of general education affects the power of perception of misinformation. The results of research conducted by a qualitative method through a focus group and presented by thematic analysis indicate a cause-and-effect relationship between levels of general education and perceptions of misinformation. The final conclusion is that the higher the level of general education means the higher the level of media competencies for deconstructing misinformation and resistance to such content.

Radio survives despite the opinion that it is an outdated medium that is rapidly losing its audience. It is forgotten that radio is still a medium that addresses the widest layer of the audience. The fact that the audience pays attention and time to the Internet leaves only additional space for the development of increasingly popular forms of web radio that appeal to the younger generations. The radio journalist has changed his status and is becoming multidimensional, ready to go to the field, record, edit and address the audience. Radio may have lost its original form but with its convergent abilities it has a new chance to become among the media of first choice because young people in their loneliness increasingly appreciate intimacy, someone’s imaginary presence and the warmth of a voice. We will especially analyze radio area in Bosnia and Herzegovina which is still awaiting the implementation of radio digitalization in order to keep pace with changes in the world and the environment. During that time, it is necessary to provide all the preconditions for overcoming technological limitations.

On the first day after the mass murder, a qualitative content analysis was conducted on nine daily newspapers in Republic of Srpska and Serbia. It aimed to determine the existence of similarities in the reporting of daily newspapers in the two countries, compare the existing reporting with current media regulations and self-regulation, identify any violations, and provide recommendations for future, more ethical reporting, given that a number of ethical lapses were observed in the reporting. The analysis of this event has both scientific and societal justification because the event impacted all members of society, and one of the tasks of science is to provide concrete advice on how to report ethically, professionally, and in accordance with recommendations and existing norms. Ethical lapses in the media can have consequences during times of crisis, shock, disbelief, panic and concern, which were understandably triggered in the audience, given that an event of this nature had not been recorded in our societies before.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced higher education institutions around the world to rapidly transition to distance learning, which has put students’ digital competences in the focus of research. The aim was to examine the digital competences of students at the University of Banja Luka in terms of accessing, creating and analyzing content, evaluating information, the ethics of using technology, and to identify potentials for further development of distance learning. A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire on a sample of 454 students from all faculties of the University of Banja Luka during the state of emergency (March–May 2020). A combination of nominal and ordinal measurement scales was applied. The results show that 64% of students have never taken an online course before; 65% of students believe that they have coped well in the new circumstances; 74% do not pay enough attention to the credibility of information; 81% of students encountered the Zoom application for the first time. A gap was observed between self-assessment of digital competences and the actual level of media literacy. The results indicate that students possess the competences for the technical use of digital tools, but show deficiencies in understanding the underlying dangers and critical evaluation of information. The research emphasizes the necessity of systematic integration of digital education into curricula.