North Macedonia, media and public funds - Article

In view of the upcoming political and presidential elections, the Macedonian government has reintroduced forms of public funding for the media. However, the country's media organisations argue that the move may aggravate the influence of political interests on news outlets

By Aleksandar Samardjiev 

Originally published by OBCT, also available in ITA

Türkiye: Big tech should protect free speech and resist state censorship - Article

Ahead of Türkiye’s municipal elections on 31 March 2024, 22 rights groups and journalists’ organisations jointly call on social media platforms to uphold the free expression rights of their users and resist state censorship. They should also fully disclose all government requests to restrict accounts or content, and be transparent about informal government pressure to restrict content on their platforms.

The State of State Media 2022 - A global analysis of the editorial independence of state media based on the state media matrix (2022 edition) - Reports

“The State of State Media” is published by the Media and Journalism Research Center. The study analyses the level of independence of public media outlets in all continents

Hungarian Capital in Foreign Media. Three Strategic Models of Influencing the Neighbourhood - Reports

The International Press Institute (IPI) published a new report written by regional media experts and investigative journalists on the investment of Hungarian capital in foreign media and the implications for the spread of Viktor Orbán’s “illiberal” model of media control

EU must act on Hungary media market distortion - Article

A coalition of 16 press freedom, freedom of expression and journalists‘ organisations have urged EU Competition Commissioner Margarethe Vestager to act on complaints that the Hungarian government has violated EU state aid rules to undermine media pluralism

Media capture: Toolkit for 21st century autocrats - Article

©Text Vector/Shutterstock

The 8th of a series of thematic itineraries to explore the Resource Centre on Media Freedom through a curated aggregation of contents. 

Macedonia: High Time to Protect Media Freedom - Reports

In a joint mission organized in April 2017 monitored the situation of press freedom and journalists' safety in Macedonia, against the background of a political crisis that worsened what could already be defined as a situation of media captured by political power

Measuring media realities. Media Clientelism Index 2016 - Reports

Clientelism, politicization and corruption hold media captured and prevent them from carrying out their watchdog role. Media Clientelism Index assesses the situation in 6 countries of South East Europe

In the Service of Power: Media Capture and the Threat to Democracy - Books

This volume collects papers presented at a conference hosted by the Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and is “the first of its kind” to explore “how political figures and economic elites are colluding to undermine the independence of privately-owned news media”