The most intense wave of negative comments regarding LGBTIQ+ individuals in media articles was recorded in 2013, during the first Pride Parade in Budva. Furthermore, this community is most frequently reported on in the context of incidents and political debates, while continuous coverage of everyday topics is lacking.

This was stated by the project coordinator of the Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI), Andrea Rovčanin, during a guest appearance on Adria Television. She presented the results of an analysis on the representation of the LGBTIQ+ community in Montenegrin online media, with a specific focus on reader comments.

The research covered the period from 2012 to 2024 and analyzed content from three online portals: Vijesti, Analitika, and IN4S. As Rovčanin explained, the goal was to provide an empirical analysis of how the media report on LGBTQ+ topics and the nature of the public debate in the comments, following a multi-year absence of systematic data.

"We often talk about the impression that the discussion is extremely negative or that the situation is improving, but without long-term and measurable data, those conclusions remain at the level of impressions and assumptions. That is why we wanted to offer a concrete analysis of trends over more than a decade," said Rovčanin.

The study analyzed 3,250 articles and approximately 35,000 comments. A combined methodology was used—manual and machine coding. About 25% of the comments were randomly coded by trained analysts according to pre-defined rules, while the remainder was processed using a computer model.

Comments were classified by sentiment—as positive, negative, or neutral—and then grouped into 18 thematic units that appeared most frequently in the narratives.

According to the results, approximately 80 percent of the comments had a negative tone. Although not all negative comments constitute overt hate speech, Rovčanin emphasized that their continuous presence throughout the observed period is concerning.

“Negativity has transformed over the years. Previously, comments more frequently contained open insults and calls for violence, whereas today, negative views are more often packaged into ideological and political narratives, frequently under the guise of freedom of speech,” Rovčanin stated.

The year with the highest number of articles, comments, and negative reactions was 2013, when the first Pride Parade in Montenegro was held in Budva. Increased media attention and a more intense negative tone were also recorded in 2018 and 2019, during the public debate on the Law

on Life Partnership of Persons of the Same Sex, as well as in 2021, when the media reported on attacks against members of the LGBTIQ+ community.

Rovčanin pointed out that LGBTIQ+ topics are most often reported on in connection with specific events or incidents, while continuous coverage of everyday life topics is lacking. According to the data, in the 2012–2013 period, positive comments accounted for about 12 percent of the total, while in 2023 and 2024, they reached about 23 percent. However, a simultaneous decline was noted in comments that could be characterized as open and clear support for the LGBTIQ+ community.

“This does not necessarily mean fundamental progress. A portion of these comments is informative or more moderate compared to the earlier period, but we still see a very small number of openly supportive views compared to negative ones,” Rovčanin explained.

Speaking about the role of the media, she emphasized that they bear significant responsibility in shaping public discourse, particularly through comment moderation. According to research data, about five percent of comments were moderated and subsequently deleted. However, a large number of negative and offensive comments remained visible, which, as she noted, contributes to the normalization of such speech.

“If moderation is not consistent, comments become fertile ground for the spread of discrimination and hate speech, regardless of the tone of the article itself,” said Rovčanin.

Among the key recommendations of the research are:

Launching a strategic dialogue between the Government, media, civil sector, and the Agency for Audio-Visual Media Services to create public campaigns on the harmfulness of hate speech. The need for workshops and training in digital and media literacy for journalists and editors. Strengthening regulatory oversight and establishing clearer, publicly available editorial policies regarding comment moderation.

Rovčanin concluded that the research methodology allows for application to other socially important topics and a larger number of media outlets, and that such long-term analyses should become a standard practice in Montenegro.