On September 12, 2024, a meeting with editors from North Macedonian media, both Albanian and Macedonian, was held as part of the project “Reporting Diversity Network – The New Agenda.” This initiative was organized by the Association for the Advancement of Journalistic Practices, “Innovative Media – Skopje,” under which the news portal Portalb.mk operates.
The meeting brought together 16 editors from national and local TV stations, news agencies, online news portals, and other media outlets. Moderated by Professor Sefer Tahiri, the discussion focused on the editors’ experiences with hate speech in their respective media outlets and on social networks, as well as the broader issue of hate speech in Macedonia. The session concluded with the editors offering recommendations and proposing solutions to address and combat hate speech across media channels.
This project, which will run until March 2027, aims to advocate for an active civil society that counters divisive narratives, replacing them with positive discourse that fosters good neighborly relations and respect for social diversity. It also seeks to empower a regional network of civil society organizations (CSOs) to work together to improve the quality of media messages, influencing perceptions of ethnicity, religion, gender, and other diversity-related topics. These efforts are critical to promoting understanding and tolerance throughout the Western Balkans.
