Skopje, 30 October 2023 (MIA) — Democratic institutions, the rule of law and public administration reforms are important but have not been covered by the media other than in the context of the country's European integration, according to Zharko Trajanoski, Institute for Media and Analytics head of research and the author of a new publication on the media's treatment of these topics, at the publication's launch earlier on Monday.

"Sadly, although we think they are important, we see they have not been important for a great deal of the media recently. They have been on the margins of media reports or were important only in the context of European integration. Should we have a representative from the European Union come so the media would focus on these topics?

"These topics should be the focus of media interest regardless of the European integration process and regardless of whether any foreign politicians insist on these topics. Why do we think so? Because democratic institutions are the most important for members of the public and civil society," Trajanoski said.

The publication includes a number of recommendations for members of the press.

"When covering these topics, the media should adhere to the principle of fact-checking and affirm the freedom of expression through critical comments. The media should provide as many critical sources as possible from civil society as well as direct statements from citizens in order to ensure greater transparency and accountability of competent institutions," the publication says.

Other recommendations include writing in plain language so that news reports are more understandable to the public. The media, the publication notes, should also contribute to the depolarization of public discourse by refraining from speech that incites hatred, violence, discrimination or social polarization.

Swiss Ambassador Véronique Hulmann said it was essential that institutions and citizens cooperate on overcoming polarization, lead objective discussions and share verified information.

Deputy Prime Minister of Good Governance Policies Slavica Grkovska said people were not aware of "the harm of irresponsible, unprofessional and illegal behavior," saying that this lack of awareness was "one of the reasons for the high tolerance towards corruption in society" and that efforts needed to be made "to change this worldview, this mindset, which is the biggest and most difficult challenge."

The publication was part of the Institute for Media and Analytics “Through Depolarization to Democratic, Stable and Inclusive Institutions: The Contribution of Civil Society,” financially supported by the Government of Switzerland through the CIVICA Mobilitas program. mr/