The first award was presented to journalist Mihajlo Milosheski, from “360 Stepeni”, for the article “How can Macedonia move away from coal without losing its energy stability?” ( https://360stepeni.mk/kako-makedonija-ke-go-napushti…/ )
The second award went to journalists Aleksandar Metodijev and Suzana Miceva, for the video story “Illegal Waste Paths” ( https://nota.mk/nelegalnite-patista-na-otpadot/ ) published on the Nota.mk internet portal.
The third award was presented to journalist Valentina Vurmo, for the article “Are we being poisoned by imported waste in addition to our own?” published on the pages of the “Face to Face” magazine ( https://licevlice.mk/dekada-na-gjubre-ugostivme-2-2…/ ).
At the ceremony held at Europe House, in the premises of the EU Delegation in Skopje, certificates of appreciation for outstanding contribution to journalism were also presented to: Ivan Kuzmanovski, Fisnik Xhelili and Aleksandar Manasiev.
The annual awards of the CME are part of the organization’s activities under the project “Building Trust in the Media in South East Europe – Support to Journalism as a Common Good”, supported by UNESCO and funded by the European Union, which encourages free, independent and pluralistic media, defines journalism as a public good and advocates for exposing disinformation.
The EU representative, Stefan Hudolin, Head of the Cooperation Department, after extending his congratulations to all the awarded journalists, emphasized that with their work they help the audience understand very complex structures and to distinguish between facts and fiction:
“By doing this, you contribute to greater trust in information, trust in the institutions and the possibility of informed public debate. By rewarding these achievements, we also pay our tribute to those journalists who stick to the truth, to independent and ethical journalism, and who make accurate information available to the citizens”.
Furthermore, the UNESCO Regional Coordinator Joshua Massarenti emphasised that CME’s commitment, for the third year in a row, to encourage quality journalistic stories related to the environment and climate change is of great importance:
“Climate change is not just an environmental issue. It is also a matter of public interest, human rights and development. It affects people’s health, livelihoods, access to water, food security, the local economies and the quality of life of everyone in North Macedonia and the region. In such a context, journalism plays a crucial role…
Masarenti added that ethical reporting is now important because of other challenges:
“Now that environmental reporting increasingly takes place in a digital information environment, facts can be manipulated, scientific evidence distorted and public debate polarized. These threats are amplified by the growing use of generative artificial intelligence, which can not only threaten the integrity of information and the sustainability of the media – the foundations of democratic societies – but also has a significant global impact on the environment.”
The President CME, Leunora Kaliqi, and its General Director, Biljana Georgievska, congratulated the awarded journalists and all the contestants in the competition, and suggested that an increase in the professional content in the media in relation to the environment, combined with an adequate institutional response to the problems that have been affecting the quality of life of everyone in the country for decades, the media have the opportunity to help find solutions and mitigate the consequences of air, water and soil pollution.
CME, through its work, will continue to promote high professional and ethical standards in journalism in North Macedonia, expose disinformation and manipulation, prevent hate speech related to media content, especially online, and advocate for ethical use of artificial intelligence in journalism.
#TrustInMediaSEE
#FreedomOfExpression
#Eu