Ubavka Janevska, a longtime journalist, in an interview for CIVIL Media talks about freedom of expression, media freedom, about editorship as a motive for journalists and about the pressures that she has faced during her work.

CIVIL Media: What do you mean by freedom of expression, media freedom and activism?

Janevska: Freedom, for the citizen to be able to state his own personal view in regards to all current and other issues in the local community, without fear. For the journalist to be able to write and publish his own text, without self-censorship. I think that freedom can motivate many citizens to join civil society organizations and in that way, in a positive sense, act in the realization of activities, primarily in debates, tribunes, round tables, where important topics related to the life in the local community are raised.

CIVIL Media: In what way do you support or can support freedom of speech and media freedom?

Janevska: By writing texts in which the journalist conveys the information to the citizens originally. Certainly, he will choose the most essential moments or arguments and will present a truly true, accurate and timely information.

CIVIL Media: Do you encounter any problems with political and business centers of power and how do you deal with them?

Janevska: I haven’t faced pressure, accept with a state institution, if we can call the Ministry of Interior of Republic of Macedonia as such. I am talking about the period before April, when I was personally asked by a police officer to delete the photos that I made in Veles, when I arrived, among the first, at the place where the vehicle of the commander of the Veles police station was set on fire.

I replied categorically that I would not do that. Again, after the police officer had went to the commander’s home, I was asked to delete the information. I resisted and said that I wouldn’t do that, but that he could take me to the police station instead, if he considered that I had committed some legal offence. As a result of such behavior, after several months, in an attempt to get information on the telephone number 192 in relation to a possible car accident, I was cursed on the phone, by the police officer on duty.

I haven’t faced any other pressure coming from politicians or business centers of power to date.

CIVIL Media: What are your recommendations in the context of the fight for freedom of expression and media freedom?

Janevska: Support to the journalist from the editor. I believe that the trust built between the journalist and the editor is a key moment in this entire story, or topic for which we are talking about today. From the experience of my 11 years of work in several media, I can say that the editor was the one who meant very much to me and encouraged me to convey the actual information, the truth from the ground. I think that again, in the period that follows, it should be our guiding star. The support that we had then, completely answers the question asked.

Маја Ivanovska

Camera: Dehran Muratov

Editing: Еrmin Klimenta

This project is financed by the European Union through the small grants program “Protecting Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression in the Western Balkans”, implemented by the Croatian Journalists Association, as part of the regional project “Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety”, implemented through a partnership of six regional journalist associations – Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia, Association of Bosnia-Herzegovina Journalists, Croatian Journalists’ Association, Association of Journalists of Kosovo, Association of Journalists of Macedonia and the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro.