Bosnia-Herzegovina News Media

Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991 was followed by a declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia--after a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosnians and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosnian/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that brought to a halt three years of inter-ethnic civil strife. The final agreement was signed in Paris in December 1995. The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. In January 2010, Bosnia and Herzegovina assumed a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has three public television broadcasters: Radio and TV of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federation TV (which operates two networks), and Republika Srpska Radio-TV. In addition, a local commercial network of five TV stations, three private, near-national TV stations, and dozens of small independent TV stations broadcast within the country. Three large public radio broadcasters and a large number of private radio stations are also in operation. Bosnia and Herzegovina has over 90,000 Internet hosts and over a million Internet users. There are 11 daily newspapers, 100 different types of magazines, 71 specialized magazines, and eight religious magazines in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All daily newspapers are privately owned. Daily newspapers include Dnevni Avaz and Oslobodjenje.