English
Bogdanka Kuzeska held a press conference today regarding the media in Macedonia and their alleged connection to “Vučić’s system—the same methods, the same boss.” She spoke about the media landscape, propaganda, and journalistic freedom, Republika writes in an opinion piece. Yet, one name was missing: “Republika.”
We must admit, we are disappointed. Given previous public debates and accusations directed at our outlet, we had the impression that we were among her favorite examples when discussing newsrooms that, in her view, fail to report properly. We followed today’s press conference closely, expecting at least a single mention. In vain.
We are not asking for special treatment, nor do we expect every SDSM press conference to begin by naming us. But when the topic is the media, the methods used, and the alleged “bosses,” it would have been nice not to be overlooked—especially after all the times we have been singled out in the past.
Kuzeska spoke about the media in Macedonia today, but she left “Republika” out of the narrative. Perhaps she decided there was no need to mention us this time. Or, perhaps, she simply didn’t want to grant us that honor. Nevertheless, should she hold another press conference regarding media outlets that do not echo the party’s positions, she certainly shouldn’t hold back. “Republika” will follow and report—even when it doesn’t mention us.
In her comments the SDSM spokeswoman Kuzeska accused several media outlets – primarily Alfa TV – of being close to the previous governments of Serbia and Hungary. SDSM has been running a campaign of intimidation against Alfa for months, trying to fan public anger at the reporting of the small media outlet. SDSM claims that nearly half of the media in Macedonia are aligned with Alfa TV – without offering any evidence of explaining how they arrived to this number.