MCCM
RESILIENCE
OUR MEDIA
In this second cycle of the research within the project Future of Media, we examined perceptions of media and democracy among media professionals, the general public, and citizens with high cultural and social capital and influence, in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey. The focus groups participants, citizens, and professionals alike, expressed scepticism about the state of democracy in their respective countries, as well as about the capacity of the media to uphold standards of quality and independent journalism.
Citizens largely recognize the pivotal role of media in forming public opinion and consequently, democratic life. At the same time, they point to systemic factors that limit media freedom and independence and undermine the media’s democratic role. Political capture and pressure, unfavourable media policies, the crisis in media funding, and changing media use patterns are most frequently cited as reasons for the decline in media quality, reach, and impact. Disinformation, saturation with superficial and repetitive information, lack of coverage of issues that matter, lack of pluralism, and the absence of investigative journalism are mentioned as defining features of today’s media and communication landscape. With the withdrawal of international assistance, quality media content is being further marginalized, with the recent termination of US funding for media in the region hitting the already financially challenged independent media particularly hard.
Besides losing funding, media outlets face growing challenges in reaching audiences in a highly fragmented communication environment. The citizens who participated in this research spoke of profound changes in communication practices, in the position of the media, and in the relationship between media and democracy. While media outlets occupy a central place in the imagery of democratic functions, in practice their role is increasingly marginalized. Many are used less frequently, are perceived as insufficiently trustworthy, and lack the capacity and commitment required for quality journalism. This media crisis is accompanied by fragile and, in some cases, declining democracies, characterized by weak public-interest policies and authoritarian tendencies that restrict media freedom and thrive on media capture.
Download the publication in English here.
The regional program “Our Media: A civil society action to generate media literacy and activism, counter polarisation and promote dialogue” is implemented with the financial support of the European Union by partner organizations SEENPM, Albanian Media Institute, Mediacentar Sarajevo, Press Council of Kosovo, Montenegrin Media Institute, Macedonian Institute for Media, Novi Sad School of Journalism, Peace Institute and Bianet.
This article was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of SEENPM and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
