We talk with Zoran Milosheski, journalist from Prilep on the topic free media, freedom of expression and how the changes that occurred on the political scene have influenced journalism.

CIVIL Media: What does freedom of expression and media freedom mean to you?

Milosheski: We have been discussing the same question for a long time and cannot reach an answer. In any case, freedom of expression should be one of the postulates of every democratic society. Unfortunately, we have been for a long focused time on the formulation and dealing more with the form than the contents. After 26 years of independence, we are back to the beginning, with the question what is media freedom, are there free media…

Today the situation with the media is not very advanced, although we have detected the problems, and have a decade-long example of how the state should not behave towards the media. A period in which we had totally unfree and corrupted media. It is now very difficult to get out of that mud. The smaller the surrounding, at the local level, the greater the difficulty.

CIVIL Media: How can one individually contribute to improving the situation in the media?

Milosheski: By always having both sides of the information. To give those in power and those who are in the opposition a chance. However, to also give the citizens a chance to express their opinion. Even though here things are divided in black and white, governmental and non-governmental media, citizens who are with the government or with the opposition, still, there are citizens who are undecided and vote based on their own assessment.

My view of freedom of expression is to give everyone a chance to express their opinion, regardless of whether they are inside or outside of the system’s box.

CIVIL Media: Have you faced pressures from business or political centers of power and how did you deal with them?

Milosheski: Not from the business centers directly, but this always goes through the political parties. The opportunity to get an advertisement was very difficult because I was not close to the party that was in power. The businessman will tell you that he has no desire or interest to advertise, when actually politics are behind the issue. So, someone had told him in which media outlets he should not advertise, and to which journalist he should not give an interview. We are not only talking about business, but also about carrying out the journalism profession. There was also no opportunity for us to obtain information or a statement from the state institutions. Namely, there was maximum isolation for everything that did not belong to the government.

CIVIL Media: With the changes that have occurred, have we gained certain freedom in the media, and how do we achieve complete media freedom?

Milosheski: It is better, but it should not stop here. The thing that bothers me the most is the unresolved status of the Macedonian Radio Television. The status is the same even after a year has passed since the change of government…I see that certain media want to continue with the same way of financing. For them it was great, they took money from government projects, from the local self-government…from everywhere…And they thought they would change their sport shirts and would continue in the same way. At the moment, I justify the position of the government and of the mayor of Prilep not to finance the media. Every media outlet should go on the market alone and survive…And not, for instance, like some Prilep media say that they will go bankrupt if the mayor does not give them money. Well, let them…If you have a way how to work, if you are good in working independently, fine, if not, you are not the only ones who have not succeeded…how have we been surviving for years? Some succeeded, some failed, that’s the market.

Biljana Jordanovska

Camera: Dehran Muratov

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.