Executive summary
Disinformation is prevalent in all forms of human communication and spreads across all of the information sources used. Daily exposure to false information might cause confusion and represent a risk to the country. Electoral processes, beginning with election campaigns and culminating with the announcement of election results, are a particularly fertile ground for the propagation of disinformation. As a result, the media must exercise caution while sharing information, ensuring its accuracy and sources. Furthermore, this obligation is crucial for online media because, in the twenty-first century, they are an increasingly popular source of information worldwide, including among Macedonian citizens.
Given that online media are not legally regulated in the Republic of North Macedonia, mechanisms for media self-regulation have been established. One of them is the Code of Conduct in the Online Sphere during Electoral Processes and Referenda, published in October 2023. Its application will be tested for the first time this year, in the presidential and parliamentary elections in late April and early May.
Author: Beba Zhagar
* This document has been prepared within the project: “EU4 Rule of Law: Citizen Engagement for Public Integrity (CEPI) in the Western Balkans and Turkey” implemented by Transparency International – Macedonia and financed by the European Union and the Government of Switzerland. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Transparency International – Macedonia and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union and the Government of Switzerland.
