Photo generated with artificial intelligence, in Canva
The Deputy PM for Good Governance Policies, Arben Fetai, announced on his Facebook profile that he received a death threat on his official email. In less than half a day, media outlets reported on his status along with hate speech comments in the headlines of their articles, writes Portalb.mk.
This is not the first time the media has carelessly published politicians’ statements without critically analyzing it, using the situation to generate sensationalism and boost their viewership. Such low-quality journalism has numerous harmful consequences, and in this case, it has only amplified and spread the message throughout the media.
The news was first published on Alsat quoting the entire threatening message in the article’s title, without providing any context or critical view of the event.
On the media aggregator Time.mk, you can see several articles that report on the event, half of them contain the same threatening message in the title and thus fuel hate speech even more, especially in the comments below the news.
Although most do this to get clicks, this practice contributes to hate messages becoming dominant in the media sphere, increasing the risk of supporting negative and dangerous tendencies in society.
Hate speech is an increasingly common phenomenon on the Internet, especially in comments on social media. Media outlets, instead of critically reporting on this phenomenon, are becoming the main spreaders of such messages.
Repeating the same message too frequently only deepens societal divisions
This is the second instance of hate speech within the past week conveying the same message, this time scrawled on the wall of a building in front of the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia in Skopje. Although the graffiti was removed after the Portalb.mk team alerted the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the situation becomes much more complicated online.
While the swift response from institutions serves as a positive example of taking action against the spread of hate in physical spaces, the lack of regulation in the digital realm remains a significant issue.
In the online realm, aggressive and harmful expressions of hatred and misinformation often remain unpunished for extended periods, with mechanisms for swift removal being notably inadequate. What is lacking are concrete and effective strategies to monitor and eliminate harmful content on the internet. While laws and regulations, such as the Digital Services Act, can help manage this area, they also require active participation from social media platforms and society as a whole in the battle against hate and misinformation online.
The media plays a key role in polarizing societies
Repeating the same message frequently can have negative effects, especially when it comes to media coverage, especially during emotionally charged and politically divided periods. When society is polarized, the media are often compelled to take sides or favor one narrative over another, which can further entrench preexisting divisions.
In such conditions, the media should take responsibility for balancing narratives and work to reduce divisions by focusing on constructive dialogue, fact-checking and objective reporting. It is also important to develop mechanisms that will protect the media from political or economic influence, and encourage journalists to commit to ethical reporting.
The media are not merely messengers of information, they serve as interpreters and curators, selecting and framing content to help audiences make sense of complex issues.
Media hate speech directly and indirectly affects our lives
Hate speech coming from the media has a major impact on everyday life, as the media not only shapes public opinion and attitudes but also influences social values, policies, and identities. When the media spreads hate speech or reinforces divisions, it can have serious consequences.
Such speech is harmful to society and can manifest itself in different ways, from direct insults and discrimination to less visible forms of hatred, such as microaggressions and stereotyping. It can often have a destructive effect on individuals, communities, and the whole of society.
Author: Despina Kovachevska, Portalb.mk
This article is published as part of the project Reporting Diversity Network – The New Agenda
