Media

Experts told an online debate hosted by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network on Tuesday that the current regulation systems for online media in the Western Balkans are not good enough, but efforts to curb the publication of hate speech and defamatory comments must not tip over into censorship.

Health Minister Venko Filipce [c] and his team listen to journalist's questions posted via video link. Photo: gov.mk

Use of media register drew flak:

The Secretary General of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), dr. Javad Mottaghi, stated that the role of the public media is to be voices of reference for the public.

The need for transparency has been embraced by various institutions and bodies, such as national governments, political parties, as well as international organizations and private enterprises.

The media have lost much of the authority they once commanded as anyone with a keyboard and an internet connection can claim to be "media" these days.

Freedom of speech in Bulgaria in 2018 has diminished, and this reflects the overall weakness of the rule of law and, among a number of other factors, the fact that laws are applied selectively and there are people with political protection against persecution.

Education fails to keep up with the pace of technology development, Safer Internet Centre coordinator Georgi Apostolov told Focus Radio.

The United Media company submitted to the Serbian Competition Committee a request for anti-trust clearance to acquire 100 percent of shares of Direct Media on the markets of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania, which includes the request for approval for Direct Media to acquire the terrestrial TV stations Pink BiH and Pink Montenegro.

'Political Turbulence: How Social Media Shape Collective Action' by Helen Margetts, Peter John, Scott Hale, & Taha Yasseri (Princeton University Press, $30, 304 pages)