The majority of the editors and the media in Macedonia operate in an environment influenced by the political centres of power and often even under threats. The political pressure backed by the media owners mainly results in a biased, partisan and non-comprehensive journalism.
In the creation of this environment, the editors and the media owners have failed to distance themselves from party politics. On the contrary, the lack of independence has made the media into collaborators in the creation of a divided and politicised society devoid of fair and balanced media reporting.
The selective reporting and the absence of editorial independence at the public service broadcaster Macedonian Radio and Television (MRT) are particularly worrisome. The chief underlying reason is the appointment of editors, a process which is completely controlled by the ruling coalition.
The political and media crisis in the country deepened further in 2015 with the publication of intercepted conversations that showed senior government and ruling party officials suggesting breaches of fundamental rights, interference with judicial independence, media freedom and elections, and politicisation and corruption in various fields.
This is only part of the content of the research on state-media financial relations in Macedonia, conducted by the Macedonian institute for media, within the project “SEE Media Observatory”.
The full report, together with conclusions and recommendation, is attached below:
Тhe editors’ role in media integrity protection in Мacedonia206.45 KB