Our Media is being implemented with the financial support of the European Union, in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey, by partner organizations SEENPM, Albanian Media Institute, Mediacentar Sarajevo, Press Council of Kosovo, Montenegrin Media Institute, Macedonian Institute for Media, Novi Sad School of Journalism, Peace Institute and Bianet.

The project opens with research activities that will seek to identify the main trends, risks and opportunities for media sustainability in the region, and map good practices in media activism in support of media freedom and media and information literacy (MIL). The research findings will be used to strengthen capacities of media CSOs and other stakeholders for addressing challenges in media sector.

Professional capacity of journalists, media outlets and media institutions will be addressed through targeted advocacy activities and engagement in national MIL coalitions. Through media activism, local and national media and other actors will be challenged to address gender inequalities in the media. Young leaders will be empowered to challenge harmful policies and practices, counter discrimination and gender stereotypes, and promote gender equality through their future work. Through financial support to CSOs in urban and rural areas, the project will reach out to local communities with a view to advancing MIL skills of citizens, promoting media freedom and integrity and countering polarisation that stems from propaganda, hate speech and disinformation.

The Project in Numbers

200 CSO representatives will be directly empowered to generate effective MIL practices and at least 18 CSOs in urban and rural areas in six countries will be supported to reach out locally and create MIL actions.

70 media professionals and representatives of self-regulatory bodies will learn about the state of self-regulation in their countries and the WB region, and how to advance codes of ethics and self-regulation standards/practices.

15.000 young people will take part in and learn through interactive MIL quizzes; at least 500 will be empowered in national MIL coalition actions.

21 young people (activists, youth workers, educators, journalists, young politicians) will improve competence for media literacy and activism, including topics like media freedom and integrity, political economy of media, media ecology, digital participation.

 ^{Funded by the European Union}

^{The regional program “Our Media: A civil society action to generate media literacy and activism, counter polarisation and promote dialogue” is implemented with the financial support of the European Union by partner organizations SEENPM, Albanian Media Institute, Mediacentar Sarajevo, Press Council of Kosovo, Montenegrin Media Institute, Macedonian Institute for Media, Novi Sad School of Journalism, Peace Institute and Bianet.}

^{This article was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of SEENPM and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.}

The visit was organised with the goal to assist in strengthening relationships and building synergy among media, civil society and institutions in fighting disinformation, as well as to promote media literacy in our country.

Participants had the opportunity to discuss with relevant representatives of European institutions, such as the Western Balkans Task Force on Strategic Communications within the European External Action Service (EEAS) as well as media organisations and associations headquartered in Brussels.

Discussions in the meetings focused on the need for institutional response to disinformation and the importance of building partnerships among relevant stakeholders, as well as activities undertaken by the European institutions in this sphere, including EU relations with private companies and platforms such as Facebook, Google, YouTube and others.

Among other things, it was pointed that there was need of increased transparency and publishing the criteria that these social networks use in removing content published by users.

During the meetings with the representatives of the European Federation of Journalists, UNESCO and the European Association for Viewers Interests (EAVI) the conversation focused on the latest activities that these organisations have undertaken in strengthening co-operation between media and civil society and the necessity of improved professionalism in media reporting and effective resilience to disinformation. The interlocutors underlined the need for designing new, creative approaches for advancing citizen knowledge and skills, to be able to recognise and deter manipulative content, since methodologies and technological innovations for creating and disseminating disinformation are continuously perfected.

Within the study visit to Brussels, the group met ambassador Agneza Rusi-Popovska and members of the Mission of the Republic of North Macedonia to the EU. During the meeting they discussed relevant themes in relation to our country’s European integration process and informing citizens about these issues.

In implementing their activities, they address different target groups, trying at the same time to maintain their own visibility, transparency, responsibility and growth within the wider societal context. Above all, they are expected to act in a way that involves monitoring and protecting the public interest, and in doing that, planning their communications strategically is of great importance.

With an aim to help CSO’s strengthen their knowledge and skills, as well as to improve their visibility in public, Macedonian Institute for Media (MIM) prepared the Manual “Civil Sector as an Effective Communicator – Strategic Performance and Influence Techniques”, which is now available on-line in Macedonian language here.

The Manual offers practical knowledge and tools that will make easier and more efficient for CSOs to “tell their story” to relevant target groups and prepare an effective communications plan, including appropriate identification of target groups, the messages to be sent, as well as the application of  appropriate communication tools and techniques, which includes both traditional and social media.

This  publication is produced in the frames of the project “News and Digital Literacy – Where Fake News Fails” implemented by Macedonian Institute for Media in partnership with the Institute for Communication Studies, the Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers and the Media Diversity Institute – London, with financial assistance from the European Union.