FYROM : Gruevski justifies his critics on lack of Media Freedom by targeting Journalist

in FYROM Human Rights, FYROM news, General News / by D-Mak / on October 21, 2011 at 3:23 am /

FYROM PM’s recent statements where he made a personal attack on journalist were condemned by the Journalists’ Association in FYROM, while it showed that Freedom of the press is still in decline in FYROM.

During an interview on Tuesday with the state owned MIA news agency, Nikola Gruevski singled out the prominent Journalist Borjan Jovanovski. FYROM’s PM made a personal attack on Jovanovski by accusing him of working with the EU to denigrate the country and added some pitiful remarks like, “Jovanovski is not a journalist any more” .

The Association of Journalists in the country responded by reminding Gruevski and his government that it was not their job to comment on the work of individual journalists in this way.

“In a democratic country it is not a usual practice for the PM to comment on who is journalist and who is not“, the Association of Journalists added.

During the news agency interview on Tuesday, Gruevski, consistent with the standard state’s practice regarding the non government-pleasing journalists, accused Jovanovski of asking a “pre-arranged” question to the EU enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fuele.

The event took place at a press conference last week in Brussels, where the Commission was presenting FYROM’s annual report.

According to Balkan Insight, Jovanovski asked Fuele whether FYROM would retain its recommendation for a start to EU accession talks if the situation remained the same with regard to media freedom.

Fuele replied that with the current “half-hearted” pace of reforms in FYROM, politicians “should not take for granted” that next year’s report will contain the same recommendation as this year’s did.

This question by Jovanovski, seem to have enraged Gruevski who is not well-versed in press freedoms. In fact a number of FYROM politicians frequently gripe that negative news reports aid the country’s opposition. Result is that Journalists of the Opposition in FYROM to be branded frequently the label of “Traitors”