English
A Brussels based outlet reprinted a Republika editorial that covers the latest round of attacks from SDSM and its leader Venko Filipce against the critical press. Filipce and SDSM have been calling out a number of news outlets, including Republika, for weeks now, attacking their editorial policy, for which they were called out by all the associations of journalists in Macedonia.
Over the past months, SDSM has moved beyond ordinary political criticism and into something more troubling: an effort to shape and police the media space. Senior party figures have publicly targeted journalists and outlets that report on scandals linked to the party leadership. These reactions have not involved factual rebuttals or transparent clarifications. Instead, they rely on labeling, delegitimization, and the suggestion that critical reporting is inherently malicious, notes the Republika editorial written by Igor Chaveski.
The editorial was published by Brussels Morning, in its opinion pages.
Party leader Venko Filipche and spokesperson Bogdanka Kuzeska have emerged as the most visible enforcers of this approach, positioning themselves as informal “fact-checkers” of the media. I am among the journalists who have been publicly singled out. The pattern is revealing. SDSM objects not to falsehoods, but to scrutiny. Headlines are reviewed, motives questioned, and journalists accused of toxicity when they report uncomfortable facts. This goes beyond wounded political pride. It reflects a conception of power in which the media is expected to operate within boundaries implicitly set by political actors. The damage extends beyond individual journalists or outlets such as Republika. By framing independent media as enemies, SDSM undermines public trust in journalism and weakens one of the few remaining checks on political power, the editorial concludes.