The Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia (CMEM), in cooperation with the Macedonian Institute for Media (MIM), organized several meetings with journalists during the election campaign for the Local Elections in North Macedonia, focusing on the role of responsible journalism in ensuring a credible and democratic electoral process.
Members of the Complaints Commission at CMEM, at the meetings held in Bitola, Skopje, and Štip, presented examples of the most common violations of professional journalistic standards, namely the Code of Journalists of Macedonia and the Guidelines for Ethical Reporting of Online Media.
The experience of the Complaints Commission shows that, even during election periods, the rule of publishing accurate and verified information involving all relevant parties is most frequently violated; that some journalists do not distinguish between news and commentary; that sensationalism is increasingly present in reporting; and that some of the media outlets against which complaints were filed circumvent the obligation to publish a retraction or correction.
The widespread practice of publishing party press releases or statements from political representatives in full, without any journalistic intervention, even when they contain hate speech, discrimination on various grounds, disinformation, or manipulation, was also identified this year during the election campaign for the Local Elections in October–November 2025.
Such copy-paste journalism, particularly practiced in online media, according to the experience of the journalists present at the debates, although it does not contribute to better-informed public nor to improving the credibility of media outlets, continues to be encouraged by editors or media owners in pursuit of more “likes” on social media and, potentially, more advertising from sponsors.
Under these circumstances, participants in the debates emphasized the need to strengthen media self-regulation, align domestic legislation with European standards, and provide continuous education not only for journalists and media workers but also for the general public, in order to achieve responsible journalism and a public capable of acting as a “watchdog” over citizens right to accurate and timely information, free from bias during elections.