Timeline Croatia: Back to a-b-c with BBC

Recently I visited the BBC website and came across the Editor’s Choice segment, “Timeline: Croatia” – A chronology of key events. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1097156.stm

Initially, as one does, I skimmed through it quite quickly; excited that a reputable media house such as BBC has made an effort in presenting to the public a snapshot of Croatia.

Uneasy feeling quickly took over and I began reading the Timeline again; this time with greater attention to details within it.

Bias against Croatia jumped at me.

The sugar-coating the Serbian role, even omitting most of these, in this BBC historical events account for Croatia appeared profoundly unfair and alarmingly unprofessional.

One cannot but question the motives of BBC’s writer of such a scanty and unbalanced timeline. Furthermore, since this BBC Timeline is listed under Editor’s Choice segment of BBC’s website it would seem clear that the website editor condoned and approved such a journalistic endeavour that, to me, seems focused on suppressing a great deal of Serbian terror over Croatia.

Since the BBC Timeline points out Croatian individuals indicted and convicted for war crimes perpetrated in Croatia why is it not also pointing out to the Serbs indicted and convicted for war crimes perpetrated in Croatia?

Why is the BBC Timeline omitting to give details about the democratic process through which Croatia declared its independence in early 1990’s?

Since the BBC Timeline is writing about the Kingdom of Yugoslavia why is it suppressing the facts around its formation?

Why is the BBC Timeline talking about brutality of Croatians (1941) and completely omits to talk about brutality of the Serbs (e.g.1991)?

Why is this BBC Timeline talking about a concept of  “Greater Croatia” and omitting to mention historical pursuits for “Greater Serbia”?

Among other things a timeline on a country’s key events has the capacity of strongly shaping the public’s perception and belief about a nation of people. Hence, it would only be just and fair to present such a timeline with facts, encompassing all key factors or issues covered in a timeline.

There was no turning back for me after reading the BBC’s Timeline Croatia. The necessity to write a timeline, using facts and keeping to issues or categories offered by BBC’s Timeline of Croatia, became paramount.

Whilst I do not expect the BBC to present to the world a highly detailed timeline on Croatia, or any other country for that matter, I do expect it to be factual without biased extraction of key events.

So, I have made an effort, and researched the facts into Croatia’s timeline approximately covering the period BBC covered, and inserting facts for some years for which BBC’s Timeline Croatia said nothing. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb), B.A.,M.A.Ps. (Syd)

The results of my efforts are presented in the linked document, herein:

Timeline Croatia 1900 – 2011

A series of historical maps of Croatia follow as a point of interest: