The Association of Journalists of Macedonia agrees with the European Commission’s assessment that the freedom of the press in Macedonia this year has worsened. The representatives of the Association have said that the Commission’s Progress Report was right to conclude that in the majority of the Macedonian media there is a lack of political pluralism and that the national television stations are coordinately supporting the ruling party.
“We have concluded that for the most part, the assessment made by the Commission regarding violence against journalists, the financing of the media and the situation at the Macedonian radio-television broadcasting service and the media regulatory body, coincide with the AJM’s assessments. The Commission confirmed that journalists are exposed to all kinds of attacks while the authorities take no action to punish the attackers, among which are politicians as well. It is evident that physical attacks, the illegal wiretapping, and the appalling working conditions serve to incite self-censorship”, said the announcement by the AJM.
The European Commission does not seek to legitimize state campaigns who serve to oppress and put pressure on the media, but according to the Association, they request complete transparency about funding that was spent for this purpose.
