Skopje 18 April 2018 – The Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services continued to be proactive in reminding media outlets about their legal obligations and enhancing its cooperation with civil society organizations, assessed the European Commission in its latest Progress Report on the Republic of Macedonia.
“In several cases, the regulator and the media association continued to report inflammatory, discriminatory and hate speech, as well as unprofessional journalistic reporting,” reads the Report.
The document further noted that the media regulator had initiated the formation of a network for media literacy, involving actors from the state and non-state sectors. In this regard, the Commission stated that it is necessary to develop a more systematic approach and cooperation among the stakeholders on media sphere and digital literacy.
As regards the financing of the public broadcasting service, the Agency for Audio and Audio-visual Media Services and the public enterprise for broadcasting (Makedonska radiodifuzija) from the Budget of the Republic of Macedonia, the European Commission recommends stop delaying the fund transfers.
The Agency will continue implementing as consistently as before both the international and the domestic legal regulations and act proactively in the field of promoting and raising journalistic standards and media literacy, and strive for implementing the European values and practices in the Macedonian audiovisual sphere.