English
The ZNM association of journalists condemned the SDSM party for its continued attacks on Alfa TV. SDSM, which has completely changed its public discourse and issues dozens of aggressively worded statements a week, is accusing the TV station which was one of the few critical voices during the Zaev regime, calling it a “media octopus”.
In the past period, through statements from party branches, as well as through statements from the party leader and other top party officials, there is a continued practice of targeting journalists and media outlets, which creates a hostile work environment for the media representatives. This can’t be treated as an isolated incident, but is a clear and worrying tendency that undermines the freedom of expression, media pluralism and the safety of journalists. Public labelling and discreditation of journalists and media outlets by political parties carries risks of additional stigmatization that can encourage additional pressure and attacks on the media workers. We call on the SDSM party, and to all other political parties, to respect professional standards, the public interest and the role of the media in a democratic society and refrain from rhetoric that deepens the mistrust and the pressure against the media, said ZNM in its statement.
SDSM responded with a press release calling on ZNM – a media association that has historically been close to SDMS – to condemn Alfa and journalist Branko Geroski for their reporting on SDSM.