President Stevo Pendarovski’s position regarding the latest developments in the court process involving IRL journalists:
“Freedom of the media is directly related to the degree of democracy in one society and to the protection of public interest. Journalism is a free profession and, as such, it needs to be subject to the principle of self-regulation by media bodies and organizations. The public has the right to be promptly and accurately informed about all important issues in a society that concern the public interest. Citizens also have the right to expect judges when adjudicating to respect freedom of expression, the right of citizens to be informed about topics of public interest and to give priority to the public interest over individual interest, especially when it comes to issues that concern the great majority of society. In such a case, it is in the public interest for the public to be informed of relevant facts of importance to those matters. Labeling, discrediting and attempts to regulate journalists and media were also registered in the past and we are witnesses that such processes did not lead to democratic development. As a country that opted for EU membership and sharing the European values of democracy, transparency and responsibility, we need to respect and implement international standards for media freedom.”
