I was surprised, not to say even appalled by the polemic on Facebook, between the Director of Telma TV, Atanas Kirovski and Vice President of the AJM, Naser Selmani. Kirovski started the polemic, claiming that only 15 percent of the citizens in Macedonia inform themselves through the social networks and the Internet, and the vast majority of 85 percent (?) through television. “If the Government continues to listen to Naser and Tamara not to lead information campaigns for the majority of citizens, it will fight for the division of those 15 percent. That’s a sure recipe for a debacle”, threatened the Director of Telma.

Naser reacted fiercely. “Atanas Kirovski, former journalist and Director of Telma Television, publically confirmed that the national television stations are a propaganda service of every government. Today he is suggesting to the Government for them to give money for media propaganda, otherwise the referendum would fail. This in other words is called media blackmail – give us money if you want your referendum to succeed! And what about the public interest?!”, asks Selmani. In addition, the president of AJM is teaching his colleague Saki to better inform himself, as research show that 54 percent of citizens inform themselves daily through the internet, and 60 percent from television.

It is obvious that in the background of this polemic, there is some kind of a big struggle that is being led. I suppose for the money of the campaign. I’ve heard that in the Government they have been already making plans how the money would be allocated, with the television stations allegedly receiving the lion’s share. Hundreds of thousands euros are being mentioned. Allegedly, a new, so far, less influential television station would be favored, which could be the reason for Kirovski’s nervousness. The print media would receive a piece, while it is not known what would be the case with the internet portals.

Nevertheless, I don’t know the details of that battle, and to be honest – I don’t really care about it. If the Government doesn’t know how to allocate the money for the campaign, well, neither Saki or Naser will help them.

Otherwise, both of them are somewhat right. Saki, for example, is right when he claims that the social media (Facebook, Twitter and so on) don’t have a significant impact on people’s political views. I have also been saying for a long time that those who throw money for a campaign on Facebook are making a mistake, because they have chosen a noisy and unreliable channel for political propaganda.

But, Naser, on the other hand, is right when he says that in addition to television, the Internet media (portals, websites) are becoming an influential source of information. Not only through the research to which the President of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (from the Agency for audio and audiovisual media services) is referring to, but also through other research, Saki should really inform himself better. There are indicators that point out that the Internet media already are and are yet to be a dominant segment of the media industry.

Ultimately, both of them are overlooking the importance and meaning of the press in Macedonia. Yes, the circulation of the printed media is incomparable to what they used to be, but the credibility of the serious printed editions and especially the influence on the more elderly public are not to be underestimated at all.

However, contrary to my great experience, I don’t have the intention anymore of convincing anyone about these things. I am an insider in the story and I know that these bigshots in power will certainly understand me wrong if I tell them what needs to be done and how.

I have given up long ago, because when it comes to the media, SDSM is traditionally stuck in the mud of incompetence. SDSMs have never had good analyses on the power and influence of the media, they have always been guided by personal sympathies towards party leaders and I see that even now nothing significant has changed. Heads and subjects in Gruevski’s regime, heads and subjects even now. That’s that, destiny…

Some do what they think is best. I think there’s no purpose in throwing away people’s money anyway, because according to my deep beliefs, the lion’s share of the voters has already decided whether they are going to vote and how they are going to vote at the referendum. So, as Balasevic used to sing – it’s no use having money, my nephews!