Skopje, 27.02.2015 – In the context of broadcasters’ reporting on the current developments in the state, the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services reminds media professionals that, while performing their role to inform the public, they should abide by the professional journalistic standards and principles, i.e. the principles under Article 61 of the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services.
Guided by the citizens’ right to be informed about all developments in the state, the editorial boards should provide journalistic processing of the information about the developments they report on, which meets the principle of “objective and unbiased presentation of the developments, which gives equal treatment to diverse views and opinions and enables the public to freely form their opinions about certain events or issues.” In this, if they choose to convey statements containing insults, slanders or even ‘hate speech’ elements, they must provide additional context of facts so as not to contribute to their dissemination, i.e. not to become the source of ‘hate speech’ themselves.