Members of the platform for civil politics “Ajde,” seated on chairs, held a protest performance in front of MRT and demanded its return to the citizens. They publicly appealed to Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) that it should be a public service of the citizens, not government propaganda bullhorn.
On this event, journalists and civil activists Zoran Bojarovski, Sashka Cvetkovska, Ines Efremova, Jana Kocevska and Biljana Bejkova talked about the freedom of expression, freedom of media, propaganda and the role of MRT as a public broadcasting service of citizens.
Journalist Zoran Bojarovski said MRT should report truthful, completely, impartially, fair and timely, but it does quite the opposite. He read the statute of MRT which reads that the public broadcaster belongs to all citizens of Macedonia.
– In the name of truth, this media temple should provide public dialogue, arena for broad debate on matters of public interest and not to represent interests of a particular political party. What MRT does is the exact opposite of what it says in its statute. I urge my colleagues from MRT to get out of the shells in which they are placed, to dare, to look with open eyes in their statute and to return sovereignty which belongs to journalists reporting on behalf of truth, freely, without fully belonging to any center of power – said Bojarovski.
Journalist Sashka Cvetkovska said people from MRT forget that the state is not a party and that their only owners are the citizens.
– And we, in accordance with the law, ask them to respect the universal principles of the profession journalists of all ethical codes in newsrooms around the world. That’s why we founded them and that is their purpose. If they cannot find themselves in that calling, in this noble mission, they should be honest and leave – said Cvetkovska.
