Birds Of A Feather Or A Fish Rots: A Phrase For All Seasons

Michael Hedges November 26, 2018 Follow on Twitter

The Western Balkan states have suffered from democratic deficiencies for decades. As a result, arguably, media serving the region has a spotty reputation. Little improvements are met with precipitous declines. Leadership is often the biggest challenge; that fish-head phrase coming to mind.

Macedonia is a small country, one of several that once made up Yugoslavia. Indeed, its name, officially, is Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), deemed transitional until negotiations with Greece are successful. The name North Macedonia is likely the end result, just not quite yet, on agreement with the Greek government. European Union (EU) accession is impossible without this. So, too, is NATO membership. These things are important for a small country.

“The collapse of the Gruevski regime has decreased government control over the media, but it is still too soon to be sure of the government’s intention to create a lasting improvement,” said Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) in its 2018 press freedom index report (April 25). “Gruevski established a level of control over the media that was without parallel in the Balkans, and many leading opposition media had to stop operating. There have been no significant changes in the economic situation for journalists in Macedonia, who are poorly paid, and jobs are not reliable. For the time being, the national radio and TV public broadcaster still serves the VMRO-DPMNE (political party).” Macedonia ranked 109th in the 2018 RSF press freedom index - between Gabon and Bolivia - and that was an improvement.

Nikola Gruevski was Macedonia’s prime minister until 2016 when he resigned in the midst of a corruption scandal. In May he was sentenced to two years jail time for corrupt practices, buying a €500,000 bullet-proof automobile for personal use. More Macedonian corruption charges were filed against him this past week. Alas, he was out of town.

Rather than report to jail to serve his time, Mr. Gruevski disappeared, briefly. He turned up in Budapest, Hungary, applying for asylum, reported Deutsche Welle (November 16), which his friend and ideological soulmate Prime Minister Viktor Orban granted. Further reports indicate he was taken in a Hungarian diplomatic vehicle through the dusty roads of Albania, Montenegro and Serbia. This would have avoided passport control, Mr. Gruevski surrendered his to the court, and prickly Hungarian migration laws. Mr. Orban referred to Mr. Gruevski as “an ally,” reported Reuters (November 20).

During his ten-year tenure as prime minister Mr. Gruevski and the VMRO-DPMNE benefitted from near-unanimous support from traditional print and broadcast media, including State broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT). Critical news media exists, largely, online. Independent media monitors in Macedonia - supported by the European Commission - reported Mr. Gruevski’s staff directing newspaper and television news coverage.

Earlier this year the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Investigative Reporting Lab Macedonia and Atlatszo.hu detailed the significant financial involvement in Macedonian media outlets of two individuals with suspicious ties to pro-government Hungarian state media. One, Peter Schatz, is director and co-owner of Hungarian tabloid Ripost, editorially supportive of Mr. Orban’s right-wing Fidesz political party. He formed a company that principally acquired Macedonian television channel Alfa TV in May 2017. Former Hungarian state broadcasting executive Agnes Adamik arrived about the same time, acquiring several Macedonian news websites, all supportive of the VMRO-DPMNE.

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