CSOs Contribution to Media Freedom

“Shaping Future into Peace” is the global message for this year’s 3rd May – World Press Freedom Day, dedicated to the role of journalism in the protection of human rights, democratic processes and public interest.

The day has been marked since 1993, following a decision of the United Nations and recommendation of UNESCO, in order to stress the importance of media freedom, but also to show the risks and pressures that are faced by journalists around the world.

In the local context, these processes significantly relay on civil sector, which uses various initiatives to contribute to strengthening of the professional standards, public debate and media literacy. Civica Mobilitas programme has continuously supports these initiatives in the last years, directed towards development of the media sphere and strengthening an informed society.

On the occasion of this day, we have spoken with representatives of the Macedonian Institute for Media, one of Civica Mobilitas grantees, on their views about the role of the CSOs, their achievements, challenges that they face, as well as the perspectives for the future development of media freedom.

“CSOs have a crucial role in the protection and promotion of media freedom via continuous support to journalists, strengthening of the professional standards and advocacy for better policies”, say the people at MIM.

According to them, they act as a corrective of the institutions, but also as a partner of the media community, providing space for dialogue, critical checking and joint response to threats to freedom of expression. In the Macedonian context, this role is especially significant because of the long-term structural weaknesses in the media sphere.

At MIM, they indicate that their work for years has been directed to strengthening of journalism via education, analyses and public debates, as well as towards advancing media literacy.

“For 25 years, MIM has been granting awards for best investigative story, in order to stimulate and promote quality, professional and responsible journalism, in the interest of the public and promotion of democratic processes in the country. MIM was part of the process for inclusion of media literacy in primary education, training more than 10,000 teachers around the country”, they add.

The Institute has actively supported the capacity development of the journalists and editors, especially in local media. With researches, trainings and study visits, MIM has continuously participated in the improvement of the state of affairs in the media sphere, fight against disinformation and promotion of media serving the public interest.

At the same time, they warn that the situation of media has remained volatile. “The biggest challenge for media freedom has remained the vulnerable economic and professional position of media and journalism”.

According to them, political and economic pressures, self-censorship and spreading disinformation seriously endanger the role of journalism as a pillar of democracy. These problems are especially visible with the local media, which often work with limited resources and without appropriate institutional support.

Civica Mobilitas has so far supported 30 projects directly related with organizations working in the field of information, communication and media, with a budget of more than 60 million denars.

For example, for the first time in our country there was Programme for Women Journalists within the project “Women Journalists for Stronger Civil Society”, where twenty women journalists underwent mentorship and training processes and created 35 media contents on topics such as gender equality, human rights and position of marginalized communities. In this way, PINA – Platform for Investigative Journalism and Analyses opened a new space for voices that are rarely given visibility.

At the same time, the Macedonian Institute for Media, in partnership with the National Council of Disability Organizations of Macedonia implemented the campaign “The Same in the Same Way”, in which journalists and CSOs together created media contents and opened a public debate on the rights and visibility of the people with disabilities. With trainings, video stories and public events, the cooperation among media, institutions and organizations was strengthened.

Fight against disinformation has been given a strong response with the work of CIVIL – Center for Freedom, whose media platform published more than 2,500 contents and involved more than 300 collocutors, parallelly with the establishment of a monitoring network with more than 650 people for monitoring of the election processes and other sensitive social issues.

In an attempt to establish clear professional standards in the on-line space, the Association of Media Development Onlimit Media, theAssociation of Journalists of Macedonia and theCouncil of Media Ethics of Macedonia have initiated the creation of promedia.mk platform – a register that has united more than 150 on-line media and is a an important self-regulation mechanism.

Parallelly, RESIS Institute has built a network of more than 50 CSOs and implemented researches and analyses that directly influence the creation of media policies and strengthening of institutional capacities. SCOOP Centre for Investigative Journalism, with documentary films opened topics of high public interest, in the area of health and environment and up to safety of journalists, contributing to a broader regional debate.

These examples show that the support to civil sector does not only imply funding of projects, but also creation of specific tools, knowledge and platforms that change the media eco-system.

Looking forward, people at MIM stress that it is crucial to have continuous investment in the professional standards, safety and independence of journalists, improvement of media policies in order to create conditions for sustainable media functioning and development of the work, as well as media literacy of the citizens.

At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the role of the journalists and media in the contemporary digital surrounding in a strategic way, where disinformation, pressure and speed of information make their responsibility even more important.

“We also need closer cooperation among media, civil sector and institutions”, add people from MIM.

Civica Mobilitas, with its support to these initiatives, continues to play an important role in the creation of an informed society and in the protection of the public interests, especially in the time of rapid media and technological changes.