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Our Media, Our Democracy, Our Future. The Future of the Media in the Western Balkans and Turkey – Facts and Trends. Regional Overview
Deep Insights

Sanela Hodžic, Sandra B. Hrvatin

Sarajevo; Ljubljana: Mediacentar; Peace Institute; South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (2025), 57 pp.

"The results of the research conducted in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey suggest that the key determinants for the future of our media and democracies are the following: • The poor socio-economic status of journalists and their exposure to ... pressure and attacks, coupled with modest support mechanisms, cripple the ability of journalists to promote the public interest, report on key issues of public interest, and hold power to account. In the most extreme cases, the pressure involves imprisonment, interrogation, surveillance, and lawsuits aimed at silencing journalists. • The lack of consistent monitoring and registration of cases of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) in the region, with dozens of lawsuits against journalists filed by political officials and their affiliates. • A growing number or media outlets, but a declining number of journalism students, highlighting concerns about the future shrinking of staff numbers in media newsrooms and about the growing automatization of journalism. The most drastic drop was in North Macedonia, with the number of journalism students in 2023 amounting to only 11% of the number from ten years ago and 50% of the number from 2000. • The number of media outlets is growing, mostly in the online sector, while print media outlets are becoming increasingly endemic. • A worrying trend of overt concentration of media ownership in the hands of a few media conglomerates, often tied to national or foreign governments, that takes a toll on media freedom and pluralism. • The dominant instrumentalization (through ownership and funding) of media (including private and public) for particular political and/or business interests limits the space for editorial independence and integrity. • Non-profit media are still a rarity in the region, with only a few non-profit radio broadcasters in some countries, and an unknown number of online platforms of civil society organizations with a community-focused mission. • Lack of transparency of the media sector, particularly a lack of accessible and reliable information concerning the media industry and the media market. • Advertising is the main source of revenues in the media sector, with the total revenues ranging between EUR 12 million in Montenegro and over EUR 4 billion in Turkey. • Although it is declining, the TV sector is still dominant in terms of its share of advertising revenues, while social media’s share is increasing, and in Turkey it amounts to as much as 45.7% of advertising revenues. • The tech giants such as Google and Meta are an increasingly dominant competitor for media outlets in the region, jeopardizing the future sustainability of national and local media outlets and potentially curbing political pluralism in public communication. • Public funding for the media, including funding of public broadcasters (declining in four out of seven countries), grants, and subsidies for media outlets and government advertising, amounts to several to dozens of millions of euros per country, taking up an important share of media revenues, but without proactive transparency, effective guarantees of editorial independence, well-defined purpose and evaluation, the opportunities to make public funding for the media an important instrument of media democratization remain under-used. • The representation of different age, gender, ethnic, religious, and other groups in media content and in the newsrooms’ staff is limited. In multiethnic communities some policies promote ethnic diversity of media content, while other identity axes are largely neglected and pluralism in public communication is very limited. Women are an important, and in many countries even dominant, workforce in the media, but remain underrepresented in managerial posts." (Executive summary) more

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Deprived Media Market, Lw Ethical Standards, Need for Effective Legislation. The Future of the Media in North Macedonia – Facts and Trends

Vesna Nikodinoska, Tamara Chausidis

Sarajevo; Skopje; Ljubljana: Mediacentar; Macedonian Institute for Media; Peace Institute; South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (2025), 41 pp.

"The following conclusions can be drawn from the data analysis: • The socio-economic status of journalists should be continuously advanced via improvement of working conditions in newsrooms and greater acknowledgement of labour rights on the part of media owners and the state. • Rapid technologi ... cal and information changes impose the need for adapting the ethical and professional standards to the new digital environment, as well as creating specific guidelines for the media and journalists in terms of the use of artificial intelligence. • The interest of young people in studies in journalism, communications, and media is drastically decreasing due to the weak link between studies with the labour market, the poor economic situation in media, and the inherent risks to this profession. It is necessary to modernize the study programmes and curricula which should be in line with the newly emerging environment, as well as making it possible to interlink with the media industry. • Disinformation and non-compliance with ethical standards are often evident in online media, thus there is already a wide discussion in the media community about the legal definition of the status and functioning of the online media. • Ownership transparency in broadcast media is at a high level, which is not the case in internet media, as the latter are outside the legal scope. The legal solution for pluralism in media ownership does not correspond to the new digital environment, therefore changes are needed that will enable development of the media market and industry consolidation. • Funds from the state budget for paid political advertising during elections and public interest campaigns have increased in recent years and represent a significant source of funding for many media outlets. The above increases media dependence on state funds, as well as the possibility of corruption and media clientelism. • Professional media organizations and the civil sector support the idea of establishing a fund for the development of media pluralism, to serve as an independent mechanism for developing projects and contents of public interest. Such approach will encourage diversity, quality, and independence in the media industry. • In the media landscape, there are not enough media and/or programmes that represent ethnic groups, marginalized groups, and persons with disabilities, while non-profit media is one of the most underdeveloped segments therein. Trust in institutions, including in the media, is very low, due to the high level of systemic corruption, disinformation, non-transparency, and weak effectiveness of institutions. • Media literacy is included in formal education as a systemic approach to teaching, but awareness of its importance should be promoted more among all age groups and segments of society. • Transparent and efficient policies, comprehensive analyses, and overarching strategies are needed to cover all segments of the media market, including the digital sphere. The limited media market adversely affects the economic situation of the media, resulting in a lack of evident development of pluralism, diversity, and independence of the media in the audiovisual media sphere." (Executive summary, pages 4-5) more

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Journalism under Duress: Worlds of Journalism Study Report (Wave 3: 2021–2025)
Deep Insights

Thomas Hanitzsch, Folker Hanusch, Corinna Lauerer, Vera Slavtcheva-Petkova (eds.)

Munich: Ludwig-Maximilian Universität (LMU), WJS Center (2025), 371 pp.

"This report presents findings from the third wave of the Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS3), conducted between 2021 and 2025. In this iteration, we focused on journalists’ perceptions of risk and uncertainty in their profession and sought to identify key factors that shape how journalists navigate ... more

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Digital Media and Grassroots Anti-Corruption: Contexts, Platforms and Data of Anti-Corruption Technologies Worldwide
Deep Insights

Alice Mattoni (ed.)

Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing (2024), x, 275 pp.

"Delving into a burgeoning field of research, this enlightening book utilises case studies from across the globe to explore how digital media is used at the grassroots level to combat corruption. Bringing together an impressive range of experts, Alice Mattoni deftly assesses the design, creation and ... more

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Evaluation of the BMAP-Forward Activity

Sarah Eissler, Micheal Buehler, Brenda Pearson, Miodrag Bogdanovic, Anida Soko, Arben Qirezi

Washington, DC: USAID; Integra Government Services International (2024), 165 pp.

"Activity Description: The Balkan Media Assistance Program to Foster Organizational Readiness While Advancing Resilient Development (BMAP-FORWARD) is a $13 million regional Activity (2022-2028) that aims to strengthen the independence and resilience of media outlets in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo ... , Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Evaluation Purpose: USAID/Europe and Eurasia Bureau requested a mid-term performance evaluation of BMAP-FORWARD to understand which approaches, tools, and interventions are successfully contributing to planned outcomes according to the Activity’s three key objectives: 1) Increase strategic business practices of key media partners to operate as viable enterprises and better understand their markets and audiences; 2) Reinforce the ability of content producers to produce data-driven content, engage wider audiences, improve digital security efforts, and expand reach across the region; and 3) Foster stronger partnerships between media outlets and the technology, commercial, and entrepreneurial sectors to advance solutions on common challenges in the information space. Evaluation Design: Mixed methods and non-experimental evaluation design approaches, including Expert Consultations and Outcome Harvesting, were employed to collect and analyze primary and secondary data, including reviewing 140 documents, conducting 51 key informant interviews with experts, 47 in-depth interviews with recipients of assistance, an online Expert Survey (n=63), and conducting 13 interviews and an online validation survey (n=48) to substantiate outcome stories. All data were triangulated to inform the evidence base to develop each finding and conclusion. Key Findings: BMAP-FORWARD’s tailored and localized approach is a key strength of its ability to provide effective, useful, and timely assistance, which has strengthened Key Media Partners’ (KMPs’) shift towards strategic planning, ability to pursue diversified revenue sources, improve content production and technology use to engage wider audiences, produce data-driven content using new software, and engage in cross-border collaborations. BMAP-FORWARD assistance has strengthened KMPs’ digital security practices and protocols, although with room for improvement to sustain this support. While BMAPFORWARD has made inroads to foster partnerships between media and non-traditional actors, key factors inhibit progress towards this Activity Objective (Objective 3). Key Recommendations: BMAP-FORWARD should: 1) continue to employ the highly tailored approach to learn KMPs’ needs, co-create solutions and action plans, identify resources to implement solutions, and present new ideas; 2) consider providing more opportunities for intentional engagement for peer-to-peer learning for newsroom staff from different outlets, including non-KMPs and different media across the region; 3) consider investing in strengthening in-house expertise capacity or identify long-term solutions for each KMP to navigate the evolving digital security challenges; and 4) consider designing and marketing sessions at forums geared towards facilitating potential partnerships between private sector actors and KMPs, which can be followed by ongoing assistance to support KMPs in navigating how to structure partnerships." (Abstract) more

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Vibrant Information Barometer: Europe & Eurasia
Deep Insights

Washington, DC: IREX; USAID (2024), 357 pp.

"The 2024 Europe and Eurasia Vibrant Information Barometer (VIBE) covers 18 countries throughout Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia. With VIBE, IREX strives to capture a modern and evolving media space where people are simultaneously producers, transmitters, consumers, and actors in the information t ... more

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Digital Rights Violations: Annual Report 2023-2024

Ena Bavcic, Tijana Uzelac, Adina Florea et al.

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) (2024), 153 pp.

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Vibrant Information Barometer: Europe & Eurasia
Deep Insights

Washington, DC: IREX; USAID (2023), 355 pp.

"The 2023 Europe and Eurasia Vibrant Information Barometer (VIBE) covers 18 countries throughout Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia. With VIBE, IREX strives to capture a modern and evolving media space where people are simultaneously producers, transmitters, consumers, and actors in the information t ... hat influences their lives and environments. This year’s edition focuses on the media and information space across the countries in the study during calendar year 2022, capturing the impact of the Kremlin’s February full-scale invasion of Ukraine. VIBE looks at four principles of information vibrancy: Principle 1: Information Quality; Principle 2: Multiple Channels: How Information Flows; Principle 3: Information Consumption and Engagement; Principle 4: Transformative Action: How Information Drives Behavior. VIBE includes 20 indicators that capture the most important elements of these four principles, and it relies on information from country experts who complete a VIBE questionnaire, provide scores for sub-indicators that support each of the 20 main indicators along with evidence to justify their scores, and then contribute to a panel discussion led by a moderator [...] For countries in Europe and Eurasia (E&E) included in this year’s publication, country-level scores were, again, mainly split into two VIBE classifications: Somewhat Vibrant (North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine) and Slightly Vibrant (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Russia, and Serbia). Azerbaijan and Belarus held the lowest scores in E&E, putting them in the Not Vibrant classification. In Central Asia, this year’s study put Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan in the Slightly Vibrant category. Turkmenistan’s score of 1 put it in the Not Vibrant classification. At the overall score level, some countries--including Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, and Moldova—saw increases in their scores. Others such as Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro received the same country-level scores as they did in the 2022 VIBE study. Finally, other countries—including Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, and Russia—experienced a decline in their country-level scores. Principle 1’s (Information Quality) lowest scores tended to fall in the indicator examining insufficient resources for content production and harmful information. Rapidly evolving models for financing media, declining advertising in traditional print and broadcast media, international tech giants siphoning off advertising funds, and local and global inflationary pressures, have all contributed to a financing desert for media. Many media are reliant on political or business benefactors for livelihood, while others look to international funding agencies for their survival." (Executive summary, page 7) more

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Blurring the Truth: Disinformation in Southeast Europe
Deep Insights

Christopher Nehring, Patrick Gensing, Gordan Akrap (eds.)

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) (2023), iii, 281 pp.

"This is neither the first nor the last study of disinformation. Yet it differs significantly from others in many regards. Firstly, it is the first and only study summarizing the state of disinformation in Southeast Europe. While regional studies abound, none so far has looked at all countries of th ... more

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Media Freedom in North Macedonia: Fragile Progress. Fact-Finding Press Freedom Mission Report, Skopje, June 5-7, 2023

Skopje: Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) (2023), 37 pp.

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Media Systems in Balkan Countries: Context and Dynamics of Changes
Deep Insights

Boguslawa Dobek-Ostrowska, Jelena Kleut

Lausanne et al.: Peter Lang (2023), 290 pp.

"We selected ten post-communist countries for this research. Eight of them are located on the Balkan Peninsula, from a geographical point of view. We added Romania and Slovenia for historical reasons. The main aim of research is to provide a model of the media system in each of them. We are interest ... more

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Donor Strategies in a time of Paradigm Shift: Mapping of the Donors Active in the Western Balkans

Miroslav Tomic, Mihailo Gajic, Ardiana Gashi

Open Society Foundations, 3rd ed. (2023), 43 pp.

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Regional E-Waste Monitor for the Western Balkans

Giulia Iattoni, Innocent Chidi Nnorom, Daesha Toppenberg, Ruediger Kuehr, Cornelis Peter Baldé

ITU; United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR); (2023), 177 pp.

"The amount of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Placed on Market (POM) in the Western Balkans region increased from 0.16 Mt (9 kg/inhabitant) in 2010 to 0.21 Mt (13 kg/inhabitant) in 2021. Likewise, the regional e-waste generated nearly doubled from 0.09 Mt (5.3 kg/inhabitant) in 2010 to 0. ... more

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Digital innovation profile: North Macedonia. Digital innovation ecosystem: Strategies and recommendations for accelerating digital transformation

Geneva: ITU (2023), vii, 73 pp.

"Whether you are a policy-maker, business leader or tech enthusiast, this report provides valuable insights into the current state of the national digital landscape and its potential to shape the future. It provides constructive recommendations, roadmaps and comprehensive opportunities to strengthen ... more

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Mapping of Actors: Identification of Potential Cooperation Partners for Media Outlets in the Western Balkans

Amra Kapo

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); Internews; Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2023), 59 pp.

"In this study we identify and elaborate at least six components of the digital media ecosystem: (1) content creators and distributors; (2) consumers/users; (3) monetization channels; (4) advertising networks, (5) data analytics and insights and (6) social media, streaming and e-commerce platforms. ... Qualitative findings have revealed four major traits of the digital media ecosystem in Western Balkans: (1) market underdevelopment (the market significantly lags behind the developed countries); (2) financial constraints (media outlets are not resourceful enough and lack funding to use advanced services digital media ecosystem offers); (3) media dynamics and technological uptake (traditional media outlets recognize the opportunity in digital media and mostly possess digital channels as secondary screens to their main formats, with larger media also utilizing the opportunities of YouTube and podcast format); (4) driven by donors or media outside of WB (independent media outlets are mainly driven by donors and external investments. Furthermore, the main reasons for slower progress in the media landscape and with media outlets in Western Balkans are identified in the study, namely: (1) economic challenges, (2) lack of infrastructure, (3) regulatory environment, (3) media ownership and control, (4) lack of training and skills and (5) monetization challenges. Each of these reasons are elaborated, with the support of arguments from the primary study. Comprehensive maps of media outlets and IT companies in the Western Balkans are created, with detailed lists of both categories provided. Here, it can be concluded that there are plenty of actors in both sectors as well as the sector is growing. The study further groups media outlets into three main categories, taking the level of digital transformation and technology adoption: (1) advanced media outlets, (2) media outlets undergoing transformation, and (3) traditional media outlets. In terms of IT companies, and general in the IT sector, which is very prolific in the region, the study selected ones that demonstrate innovativeness and an advanced assortment of services and products, positioning them as potential collaborators for media outlets seeking to improve their digital presence, engagement strategies, and content delivery mechanisms." (Executive summary, pages 1-2) more

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Media Mapping and Dealing with the Past

Getoarbë Mulliqi-Bojaj, Abit Hoxha, Milan Spirovski

forum ZFD Kosovo & North Macedonia (2023), 23 pp.

"Despite their differences, both Kosovo and North Macedonia have shared challenges with regards to reporting about the past. Problems with violence and trust building in the communities is a field of reporting that does not often go beyond borders of ethnicity and political landscape. Reaching acros ... s the ethnic lines and political division, puts journalists in a dichotomous role between reporting on own community and revealing the truth which jeopardizes the true nature of journalism and the use of objective methodology in choosing sources. This media landscape report for Kosovo and North Macedonia also includes an overview of the self-perception of role of journalists in the society as it pertains to dealing with the past. Journalists stand in the center of journalistic concepts of professional ideology of independence, neutral reporting, and eye-witness accounting in one hand and their duty to accompany nation building processes, deal with crimes, scrutinize former officials of prior political structure and keep current political leaders accountable. This puts journalists in a particular position of being public defenders of the state, nation, and society building but also of development in post-conflict which is part of a wider political agenda. Hence, media actors are almost exclusively part of the political landscape. They argue that media and politics go hand in hand, both in Kosovo and North Macedonia. This, in itself, is challenging. Such interdependence of politics and media make is difficult for media to keep political actors accountable and jeopardizes the role of media in society. The media landscape in Kosovo and North Macedonia incorporates both expert views and empirical research findings that can help structural interventions to continue enhancing the professionalism of journalists with regards to making ethical choices in reporting on dealing with the past. It also guides them to care more about sensitive cases where privacy, the rights of families and victims, and their dignity take the spotlight while leaving sensationalist and celebritization of news reporting for other news beats. Arguing for a bottom-up and conflict-sensitive reporting in dealing with the past, Kosovo and North Macedonian journalists will build themselves pathways of dealing with the past through content that cares about the about truth and dignity while respecting human rights and the rights of victims of conflicts. This enables peace and reconciliation among communities serving the general interests of the people first." (About the project, page 7) more

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Vibrant Information Barometer: Europe & Eurasia
Deep Insights

Washington, DC: IREX (2022), 348 pp.

"The 2022 Europe and Eurasia Vibrant Information Barometer (VIBE) sees the addition of the five countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) to the study, bringing the total number of countries examined to 18. With VIBE, IREX strives to capture a moder ... more

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Online Intimidation: Controlling the Narrative in the Balkans. Annual Digital Rights Report 2021

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) (2021), 64 pp.

"From August 2020 until August this summer, we recorded almost 800 cases of digital rights violations in eight countries of south-eastern Europe: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia. Violations took place not just on TikTok, but also on F ... more

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Three Decades Later: The Media in South East Europe After 1989
Deep Insights

Barbara Thomass, Martin Marinos et al.

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) (2021), iii, 305 pp.

"The book depicts and reflects the media change by concentrating on five main topics: the development of the media market, the relationship between media and politics, the establishment of public broadcasters, the status of the journalistic profession and the role of digitalisation and the internet. ... more

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Media Trust in the Western Balkans: Together Apart. Regional Overview

Sandra B. Hrvatin, Brankica Petkovic, Sanela Hodžic

Ljubljana: Peace Institute; South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (2021), 34 pp.

"Trust in the media varies across the region, with citizens in BiH, Serbia and North Macedonia divided in around half of those that trust and half of those that distrust the media, and a higher number of citizens in Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania having trust in the media. The highest trust is expre ... more

Our Media, Our Democracy, Our Future. The Future of the Media in the Western Balkans and Turkey – Facts and Trends. Regional Overview Deep Insights

Journalism under Duress: Worlds of Journalism Study Report (Wave 3: 2021–2025) Deep Insights

Digital Media and Grassroots Anti-Corruption: Contexts, Platforms and Data of Anti-Corruption Technologies Worldwide Deep Insights

Vibrant Information Barometer: Europe & Eurasia Deep Insights

Vibrant Information Barometer: Europe & Eurasia Deep Insights

Blurring the Truth: Disinformation in Southeast Europe Deep Insights

Media Systems in Balkan Countries: Context and Dynamics of Changes Deep Insights

Vibrant Information Barometer: Europe & Eurasia Deep Insights

Three Decades Later: The Media in South East Europe After 1989 Deep Insights

Our Media, Our Democracy, Our Future. The Future of the Media in the Western Balkans and Turkey – Facts and Trends. Regional Overview
Deep Insights

Journalism under Duress: Worlds of Journalism Study Report (Wave 3: 2021–2025)
Deep Insights

Digital Media and Grassroots Anti-Corruption: Contexts, Platforms and Data of Anti-Corruption Technologies Worldwide
Deep Insights

Vibrant Information Barometer: Europe & Eurasia
Deep Insights

Vibrant Information Barometer: Europe & Eurasia
Deep Insights

Blurring the Truth: Disinformation in Southeast Europe
Deep Insights

Media Systems in Balkan Countries: Context and Dynamics of Changes
Deep Insights

Vibrant Information Barometer: Europe & Eurasia
Deep Insights

Three Decades Later: The Media in South East Europe After 1989
Deep Insights