BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia's state-run television has apologized to viewers throughout the former Yugoslavia for war propaganda and hate speech broadcast during the era of late autocratic leader Slobodan Milosevic.
Radio Television of Serbia said in a statement posted on its web site Tuesday that the station’s program was "almost constantly and heavily abused" as a propaganda tool of Milosevic’s regime during the 1990s.
The statement adds that the broadcaster "apologizes to the citizens of Serbia and those of neighboring countries who were subject to insult, slander and what would now be termed as hate speech."
Reporting by the broadcaster played a key role in fueling the ethnic wars in the former Yugoslavia and in curbing dissent at home.
