{"id":1888,"date":"2026-08-25T14:46:38","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T12:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www1.presscut.hr\/?p=1888"},"modified":"2026-08-25T14:52:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T12:52:52","slug":"media-coverage-analysis-croatian-wildfires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www1.presscut.hr\/en\/media-coverage-analysis-croatian-wildfires\/","title":{"rendered":"Media coverage analysis of the Croatian wildfires: what 30,000 items show"},"content":{"rendered":"

In just seven days, the Croatian media space was flooded with coverage of wildfires: field reports, accounts from people who had left their homes, and the experiences of firefighters. We ran a media coverage analysis<\/strong> on the topic and processed more than 30,000 items from print, radio and television, news portals and social media.<\/p>\n

The media coverage analysis showed that the story developed along four clearly separate lines. Here is what we saw \u2014 and, at the end, how a picture like this is put together.<\/p>\n

What 30,000 items show<\/h2>\n

In one week we recorded more than 30,000 items about the fires. Most of the coverage appeared on Facebook and on online news portals, and among the locations the ones that stood out were Omi\u0161, Dugi otok and Pelje\u0161ac<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The organisations appearing most often as key actors are the Croatian Firefighting Association, the army, the Harbour Master’s Office, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS), the Red Cross and the State Attorney’s Office. That list was not compiled by hand \u2014 these are simply the organisations mentioned most frequently across the texts, identified automatically.<\/p>\n

Four themes that emerged on their own<\/h2>\n

The items were not grouped by keywords but by events. Four distinct clusters came out of that grouping.<\/p>\n

1. The scale of the damage<\/h3>\n

A series of fires on the Omi\u0161 riviera, Pelje\u0161ac and Dugi otok affected more than 1,000 hectares. Houses, vehicles, coastal structures and agricultural buildings were destroyed. At least one person died, dozens were seriously injured and thousands were evacuated.<\/p>\n

2. Causes and criminal proceedings<\/h3>\n

In several cases arson or other human action is suspected \u2014 from discarded cigarette butts to fireworks. Police and the USKOK anti-corruption office conducted criminal investigations, and several people were arrested in Zadar County, Split and the Benkovac area. Alongside this, the coverage carried calls for tougher penalties and stronger prevention.<\/p>\n

3. Rescue and recovery<\/h3>\n

Firefighters, the army, the Harbour Master’s Office, HGSS, the Red Cross and volunteers evacuated more than 2,000 people, set up reception centres and began emergency recovery work. State officials visited the fire sites and announced financial aid and a longer-term reconstruction of the affected areas.<\/p>\n

4. The European context<\/h3>\n

Comparable fires hit Belgium, Greece, Montenegro, Italy, Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom. Foreign media singled out the Croatian fires in particular, along with extreme weather, heatwaves and strong winds.<\/p>\n

Why this matters beyond fire season<\/h2>\n

The wildfires were an exceptional situation, but a media coverage analysis works on the same logic in any crisis. When a topic explodes, the first question is never how many items there are, but how fast it is growing, where it is spreading and whose voices are carrying it<\/em>.<\/p>\n