SKOPJE, 20.12.2018 – Labor rights are not forbidden topic in the Macedonian media, but still, with a short search on the internet portals of Macedonian media we can conclude that this topic has been treated rarely and superficially. Most of the articles connected with the labor rights in Macedonia are reports from press-conferences of state institutions, trade unions or non-governmental organizations. Rarely one can read, listen or watch an in-depth analysis or investigative piece with the labor rights as a main topic, despite the fact that we continuously hear information about breach of labor rights in Macedonia.
Logically, one question pops up: What are the reasons for this? Why journalists and editors are not more interested in this topic which in a state with poor economy and high rates of unemployment should continuously be a subject of analysis and investigation.
One of the possible answers to this question is connected with the fact that in the last decade the media sphere in Macedonia was completely changed in negative direction. Digitalization, internet and social networks changed the way the audience/public perceives journalism. The traditional way of selecting, preparing, processing and publishing the news nowadays is a rarity. The most important things today are the speed, number of posts, clicks, likes, shares and no resources are spared for reaching high numbers, because exactly this brings profit for the media. Analytical, investigative and critical journalism which requires serious resources, both financial and human, does not brings the needed profit for functioning of the media. This means that in the race for profits and increase of the viewership and readership throws behind the basic journalistic principles, decreases the possibility of keeping the professional standards and in the same time puts the truth aside. With the truth aside, the public interest is also neglected, and exactly protecting the public interest is the core of journalism as a profession.
All mentioned above, pushed by the decade long misuse of most of the media through “buying” their loyalty with budget resources and turning them into instruments of the state propaganda contributed for drastic decrease of the quality of the journalism. This on the other hand contributed to decrease of the audience trust in the media.
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