ODJEK ŠUMADIJE ON THE BEGINNING OF WAR IN 1941

Abstract

According to its editorial concept, the weekly newspaper Odjek Šumadije indisputably represented the forerunner of contemporary tabloids. Sensationalist headlines, news written by the method of delayed lead, over-detailed reporting, labeling, assumptions, speculations and anonymous sources are just some of the segments we have detected during the analysis of this newspaper’s content. However, as of early 1941, in the newspaper founded by Milovan R. Pantović, the amount of the tabloid content was considerably reduced in addition to a concurrent increase of informative content which best depicts the pre-war situation. Based on the analysis of the content we have conducted, an accurate image of the pre-war situation can be formed, both in the city of Kragujevac and the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia in general, which also indicates that daily newspapers from this period can represent a significant source of secondary information concerning the historical research of this period.