NGO INFO-CENTRE MACEDONIAN CENTRE FOR EUROPEAN EDUCATION Monitoring of Media May 10th –July 28th 2011 Who will push forward the European agenda in Macedonia? SKOPJE, October 2011 C O N T E N T S 1. INTRODUCTION 3 2. QUANTITATIVE OVERVIEW 3 3. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 4 4. ANALYSIS 6 4.1 Fair and Democratic Elections: Appeals and Expectations 6 4.2 EU Agenda in Political Parties’ Campaigns 7 4.3 Orban and the European Right in the Campaign Train 7 4.4 Sorensen Leaves 9 4.5 Visa Regime Returns? 9 4.6 The Name: Issue that can’t be Escaped 10 4.7 Evaluation of Election Process 11 4.8 The Polish Presidency 12 4.9 Diplomatic Activities 13 4.10 Expose 14 4.11 EU Remarks 14 2 Who will push forward the European agenda in Macedonia? 1. Introduction The NGO Info-centre, in cooperation with the Macedonian Centre for European Training (MCET), continues its monitoring of quality of media coverage of the European integration processes in Macedonia in 2011. The monitoring programme is financially supported by the Foundation Open Society Institute Macedonia (FOSIM). This report covers the period from May 10 to July 28, 2011. The analyses includes the coverage in eight daily newspapers (Utrinski vesnik; Dnevnik; Vest; Večer; Vreme; Nova Makedonija, Špic and Koha) and the central news programmes aired on eight TV stations that broadcast nationally and over the satellite (A1 TV; Kanal 5 TV; Sitel TV; Telma TV; MTV 1; Alfa TV; Alsat TV and MTV2). It should be noted that the coverage in Vreme and Špic dailies concluded through July 2, 2011, and for A1 TV the monitoring was concluded on July 19, 2011, the respective dates of their termination. Also, Koha daily folded on July 2, 2011, which marked the end of monitoring of its reporting, and MTV2 broadcaster was monitored only during the Parliamentary Elections 2011, from May 10 to June 8, 2011. In terms of the methodology, we need to note that during the Parliamentary Elections (May 10-June 8, 2011), the coverage in the print and electronic media was monitored daily. In the period June 22 – July 28, 2011, the monitoring covered the print media editions on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and the broadcast media were monitored on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. For technical reasons, we missed the central news programmes on AlsatM TV of June 3, 2011; Telma TV of June 22 and July 1, 2011; and MTV1 news programme of July 1, 2011. 2. Quantitative Overview In the period covered by this monitoring, a total of 360 journalistic articles and stories were printed and aired by the monitored media. Of that total, 126 (40%) were published by the print media, and 191 (60%) were aired by the broadcast media. Number of articles published in the print media: - „Utrinski vesnik“ - 49 (15%); - “Večer” – 41 (13%) - “Dnevnik” – 29 (9%) - „Vreme” – 21 (7%) - „Nova Makedonija“ - 23 (7%); - "Koha“ – 15 (5%) - „Špic“ - 9 (3%); - “Vest” – 4 (1%) 3 Number of articles aired by the broadcast media: - MTV 1 – 26 (8%) - Kanal 5 TV – 25 (8%) - А1 TV - 19 (6%) - Sitel TV - 14 (4%) - Alpha TV – 14 (4%) - Alsat M TV - 13 (4%); - MTV 2 – 8 (3%) - Telma TV – 7 (2%) Break-down per genre: - Reports – 223 (70%) - News – 35 (11%). - Statements – 32 (10%) - Commentaries – 20 (6%) - Interviews - 6 (2%) - Analyses – 1 (1%) 3. Conclusions and Recommendations Compared to previous years, the quality and the quantity of reporting on European integration processes in Macedonia has dropped dramatically in 2011. The citizens are provided very little information on the European integrations. In terms of the actual contents, the information mostly consists of statements by political figures on the Elections, the name- dispute, etc. Unlike previous years, the journalists and the media have neglected their pro-active role and report little on the key policies and reforms necessary for Macedonia's accession into the European Union. The trend dictated by the Government has been followed by the opposition, but also by the EU representatives themselves. The lack on information European integration is due, to an extenct, to the fact that several media outlets (A1 TV, Vreme, Špic and Koha e re dailies) that were active and staunch supporters of Macedonia's accession in the EU, folded their operations. We could expect that the dramatic drop of interest in European integrations by the media, but also by all relevant social and political factors, may result in a shift of the public opinion and growth of Euro-scepticism among Macedonian citizens. The European agenda had little presence in the Election 2011, moslty through statements by European diplomats on the need for fair, democratic and peaceful elections free of any violence. It seems that the direct participants in the Elections, both the government and the opposition, estimated that the European topics and issues won't bring them more voters. As 4 a result, European integrations were missing from their campaign speeches and rallies and were given only marginal and superficial place in party programmes and platforms. That limited presence of issues related to the European integrations in the Elections was a cause of concern, and it continued in the period after the ballot day and the moment the new Government was constituted. While the ruling coalition pushed the European agenda back as a secondary issue, the opposition, too, was not really loud to promote the topics of key importance for the European integrations in Macedonia. One characteristic of the period during and after the Elections was that even the representatives of the European Union and the European Commission hardly made an attempt to bring the Euro-agenda to the fore. It may be due to the fact that, over that period of time, there was no EU ambassador accredited to the Macedonia. There was, however, a notable presence of European representatives and officials who appeared in the role of supporters of individual political parties that ran in the elections, or of diplomatic representatives who repeated the message that Macedonia needs to hold immaculate and democratic elections. The journalists reporting on the European integrations have mostly reduced themselves to mere transmitters of statements and messages by local and foreign politicians. They lack the strength or, indeed, interest to push for a true and fundamental debate on European integrations. There were few analyses and commentary articles. The coverage was dominated by statements, news and reports. The European Commission will release the 2011 Progress Report on the Republic of Macedonia on October 12, 2011. In the previous years, there was a great, sustained and intensive interest by the journalists in the contents of the progress reports. For example, in 2010, the majority of the media detected, precisely and in much detail, the key issues, conclusions and recommendations of the 2010 Progress Report even before its official release by the European Commission (EC). In the effort to predict the contents of the 2010 Progress Report as closely as they could, the media consulted representatives of the government and the opposition, EU officials, representatives of the civil society and expert community. This year, at least before the release of the Progress Report (the results of the monitoring of the media coverage of the 2011 Progress Report will be published in the next Media Mirror report) the interest of the media has fallen significantly, although a number of journalists already detected the key notes and remarks of the European Commission – the freedom of speech and civil society, reforms of the public administration, the judiciary, the police force, etc. In view of the current trends, and having in mind the experiences of the past several years, we would recommend to the media and the journalists to reactivate themselves in the process of promotion of European integrations in Macedonia and to offer professional, analytical and in-depths reporting on that extremely important process to the citizens. 5 4. Analysis 4.1 Fair and Democratic Elections: Appeals and Expectations On the eve of the election campaign, the media reported on the joint statement issued by the chiefs of missions of EU, NATO, OSCE and the U.S., demanding from all responsible actors to ensure that the elections will meet the democratic standards and will be free of intimidation and violence.1 The media noted that the statement appealed to the “Government and other relevant institutions to ensure that the electoral process will win the confidence of all political parties and, above all, the citizens”.2 The media carried the statements by the new Rapporteur for Macedonia in the European Parliament, Richard Howitt, who said that the early Parliamentary Elections will be crucial for the integration processes in the country3 and an “important and urgent challenge” in which “your actions will be key for the European integrations in the country, at the same time demonstrating the dedication to the Copenhagen criteria”.4 Ambassador Peter Sorensen joined the appeals to the leaders to pay attention to their actions and behaviour, which would be followed closely by the international observers.5 The media carried the following statement by Sorensen: „We have the international observers and we will keep in constant communication with them to see what they have to say about the progress of the elections... This is like a football match – we will talk once it is over”.6 Encouragement and warnings arrived from all sides. The media carried the appeal by Jean Charles Gardetto, the head of the Delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that followed the election campaign, who said that all political actors have huge responsibility in elections held in a multiethnic society.7 In the heated atmosphere, the media carried the warnings coming from diplomatic sources: “Your country is already falling behind in the implementation of the EU-agenda and, should ODIHR say after the elections that they didn’t meet the standards, it would mean a further fall behind on the road to the Union.