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Media coverage of environmental crisis awarded with the support of UNESCO in North Macedonia
Within the framework of the UNESCO project “Building Trust in Media in South-East Europe: Support to Journalism as a Public Good”, funded by the European Union, the Council of Media Ethics in Macedonia (CMEM) held a ceremony on 23 April 2024 at the EU House in Skopje, North Macedonia. The ceremony awarded the top entries in the CMEM media competition, which this year focused on the interplay between facts, disinformation, and environmental issues in North Macedonia. The theme aligns with that of the 31st World Press Freedom Day, A press for the planet: journalism in the face of the environmental crisis, to be celebrated on 3-4 May in Chile.
Climate change, biodiversity loss, and air pollution form a triple planetary crisis threatening sustainable development worldwide, including in South-East Europe. Producing content grounded in facts and providing access to reliable information, both offline and online, are increasingly critical to effectively inform the public about environmental concerns.
Biljana Georgievska, a member of the jury and the Executive Director of CMEM, emphasised the urgency of the issue: “Unfortunately, the protection of the environment remains largely suppressed in the media landscape of North Macedonia. It is imperative for the media to spearhead a campaign, characterized by responsible and ethical reporting, aimed at raising awareness among the population and urging authorities to take action”.
Journalism at the Forefront: Combating Environmental Disinformation in North Macedonia
Under the auspices of the journalism competition, CMEM received over 20 submissions covering topics such as deforestation, the protection of local flora and fauna, amongst others. The jury awarded the first prize to freelancer, Aleksandar Metodijev and journalist-editor Suzana Miceva, for their TV documentary investigation, “Fragile Forest”, which investigated illegal deforestation in Mount Jablanica, in the North Macedonian territory. It was financed by Journalismfund Europe and broadcast by TV24, TV Kanal VIS and Nota.mk.
Viktorija Dimitrova Jovanova, national correspondent for the Media Information Agency (MIA), won the second prize. Her report focused on the environmental damages caused by disinformation and lack of accurate information in Shtip, in the country’s east. It highlighted the challenges firefighters face post-harvest when farmers burn stubble under the mistaken belief that it improves soil quality - a practice that often leads to forest fires and significant material losses.
During the opening remarks, Ambassador David Geer, Head of the EU Delegation to North Macedonia, stated that “false narratives and misleading information hinder our ability to understand - and address - environmental challenges.” “Journalists have a key role to play here, ensuring rigorous ethical and professional standards in whatever they do. At the same time, they are entitled to expect us to speak out when they are attacked or threatened,” he concluded.
“With the journalism competition, CMEM strengthens journalistic professional and ethical standards, and their protection and promotion among media in North Macedonia,” added Joshua Massarenti, Regional Project Coordinator at the Antenna in Sarajevo of UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe. “By doing so, CMEM contributes to fight against disinformation in the digital age and restore trust of the public opinion in media.”
The award ceremony also served as a platform to officially present the UNESCO publication Reporting on Artificial Intelligence, a handbook for journalism educators, co-published by UNESCO and CMEM in Albanian and Macedonian within the project “Building Trust in Media in South-East Europe: Support to Journalism as a Public Good”. This handbook is part of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) and the World Journalism Education Council’s efforts to equip journalism educators and practitioners to effectively empower journalism educators to help both journalism students and working journalists do justice to one of the major issues of our times.
