A two-day workshop on “Psychological support to journalists in crisis situations” was organized by the Macedonian Institute for Media (MIM) and the Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers of Macedonia (SSNM) that conveyed the message that the journalists, cameramen, photojournalists should speak openly but also request assistance for the psychological consequences they suffer from the stressful, crisis and traumatic experiences in the course of their works. In the absence of institutional psychological support for media workers, Gavin Rees, Director and trainer at Dart Center – Europe as well as expert in this field, recommends that the superiors, but mostly the colleagues in the newsroom, should be the ones to recognize and will give the necessary help to the colleagues in order to deal with the consequences of stress and trauma. The way to do that, says Rees, is sincere care and careful listening to the colleagues when talking about what they have experienced, without condemnation or remarks. Ana Blazheva, psychologist, mentioned that the journalists not only need the assistance from their living and working environment, but also professional assistance, if there is reoccurrence in the symptoms of the trauma they endured. This have proven to be very successful in resolving the consequences. According to D-r. Blazeva, the way the individual to survive through the consequences is for him/ her to accept and recognize the emotions when he/ she is facing crisis situation (in this case, the media workers). During the workshop, five journalists and a photojournalist shared their personal experiences, but also the consequences of crises and traumas experienced while on duty, such as the Kosovo War, the 2001 conflict in Macedonia, the refugee and migrant crisis, facing infections and epidemics such as Ebola and Covid-19, but also reporting on personal human stories and socially disadvantaged people. The workshop also talked about the psychological consequences of suffering threats and insults against journalists, but also about something that is additional stress and trauma to many journalists today - working from home and working in a pandemic. The research so far has shown that as many as 70 percent of journalists have reported psychological changes in relation to it. The world statistics show that 80 to 100 percent of journalists have been exposed to a traumatic experience related to their work, and as many as 92 percent have experienced four traumatic experiences during their working life. The workshop was part of the "Promoting Media and Information Literacy and Strengthening Independent Media in the Western Balkans" project, implemented by Albany Associates (www.albanyassociates.com), together with regional media development organizations, including the Macedonian Institute for Media. The project is funded by the British Government.    

Nine media development organizations in the Western Balkans and Turkey have joined forces under an EU funded project "RESILIENCE: Civil society action to reaffirm media freedom and counter disinformation and hateful propaganda in Western Balkans and Turkey’". The project’s (2020 – 2023) primary focus is on: strengthening capacities of media CSOs and grassroot organisations through networking and cooperation regionally to improve understanding of disinformation and hateful propaganda models of media and communication in the Western Balkans and Turkey (WBT); the ability of media and civil society to respond to and debunk false information, particularly online; building the resilience of citizens against disinformation through the promotion of joint solution involving media professionals and other stakeholders. The project is implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. The three-year project is coordinated by the South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM), a network of media development organizations in Central and South East Europe, and implemented in partnership with: Albanian Media Institute in Tirana, Foundation ‘Mediacentar’ in Sarajevo, Kosovo 2.0 in Pristina, Montenegro Media Institute in Podgorica, Macedonian Institute for Media in Skopje, Novi Sad School of Journalism in Novi Sad, Peace Institute in Ljubljana, and Bianet in Istanbul. Updates on project activities, outputs and products will be featured on the websites and social media channels of the partner organisations, including the SEENPM websites www.seenpm.org and www.cimusee.org. What will the project do? Research reports An analysis ofpolitical-economic basis of hate, disinformation and propaganda models of media and communication; Analysis of hate and disinformation narratives; Research (based on opinion polls) on media trust and media-gender issues; Countering hate, disinformation and propaganda Production of 6 TV shows informed by the research findings and aimed at raising the awareness among media audiences of key media freedom and freedom of expression issues; Regional workshop for creative teams to learn from EU experts and peers and apply fresh creative solutions to national countering narrative campaigns; Disinformation countering campaign to run on social media in all seven target countries; Editors’ forum (titled “Editors for Trust”) to underline the potential power that editors hold in restoring media trust, and to exchange experiences on approaches to developing sustainable business models that promote quality, trusted journalism as a means of countering disinformation; Study visits to EU countries for editors from the region; Production of cross-border stories using constructive journalism approach. Promoting of media and information literacy (MIL) in small towns and rural areas Sub-granting scheme aimed at capacity building of grassroots organisations to engage in the promotion of MIL in small towns and rural areas that may be particularly vulnerable to disinformation and propaganda. Advocacy Preparing overview on regulatory and self-regulatory framework in beneficiary and selected EU countries to serve as a basis for advocacy activities; National advocacy activities, with findings and good practices identified in the previous activity presented to national stakeholders invited to public debates in each beneficiary country and supported by guest speakers from the region or EU member states; Conclusions from public debates and analytical activities will be summarised in country specific set of recommendations and distributed broadly. Follow “RESILIENCE: For Media Free of Hate and Disinformation“! www.seenpm.orgFacebook SEENPM//@SEENPM_org">Twitter SEENPM www.cimusee.orgFacebook CIMUSEE//@CIMU_SEE">Twitter CIMUSEE You can reach us at admin@seenpm.org for any information about the project.   The regional program ‘RESILIENCE: Civil society action to reaffirm media freedom and counter disinformation and hateful propaganda in Western Balkans and Turkey’ is implemented with the support of the European Union by partner organizations SEENPM, Albanian Media Institute, Mediacentar Sarajevo, Kosovo 2.0, Montenegrin Media Institute, Macedonian Institute for Media, Novi Sad School of Journalism, Peace Institute and Bianet.  

Civil society organizations are influential actors in creating awareness for wide range of issues related to social development and play very important role in the society. In implementing their activities, they address different target groups, trying at the same time to maintain their own visibility, transparency, responsibility and growth within the wider societal context. Above all, they are expected to act in a way that involves monitoring and protecting the public interest, and in doing that, planning their communications strategically is of great importance. With an aim to help CSO’s strengthen their knowledge and skills, as well as to improve their visibility in public, Macedonian Institute for Media (MIM) prepared the Manual "Civil Sector as an Effective Communicator - Strategic Performance and Influence Techniques", which is now available on-line in Macedonian language here. The Manual offers practical knowledge and tools that will make easier and more efficient for CSOs to "tell their story" to relevant target groups and prepare an effective communications plan, including appropriate identification of target groups, the messages to be sent, as well as the application of  appropriate communication tools and techniques, which includes both traditional and social media. This  publication is produced in the frames of the project “News and Digital Literacy – Where Fake News Fails” implemented by Macedonian Institute for Media in partnership with the Institute for Communication Studies, the Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers and the Media Diversity Institute – London, with financial assistance from the European Union.     

Promoting media literacy and accurate information in North Macedonia Deadline for submission: 8 June 2020 Duration of each project: Up to 6 months. Projects need to be completed by the end of January 2021.  Size of individual grants: 3.000 GBP (paid in local currency) plus requested input and assistance from consultants who are experts in content creation, if needed Total number of grants that will be awarded under this call: Up to two General information Albany Associates (www.albanyassociates.com), Mediacentar Sarajevo (https://media.ba), and Macedonian Institute for Media along with regional media development organisations, are implementing a project called “Promoting Media Information Literacy and Strengthening Independent Media in the Western Balkans”. The project’s primary goals are to build the capacity of media professionals and journalism students in verification, fact-checking, content production and other reporting competencies; and to enhance public service broadcasters' understanding of media and information literacy (MIL) and to improve their ability to deliver MIL campaigns to the public. The project is being implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.The project is being implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, R.N. Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. It is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Under this call published by Macedonian Institute for Media, only media outlets registered in North Macedonia are eligible to apply.  A maximum of two awards will be made.  Objectives of the call In order to support quality journalism and improve media literacy among audiences in the region, Albany Associates and Macedonian Institute for Media are seeking applications for content production grants, with the following specific objectives (applicants can choose between the two, or combine them): 1. Providing audiences in North Macedonia access to high quality, innovative media content that will help them to better understand the role of media and the importance of professional and independent journalism. 2. Helping audiences safely and responsibly navigate information concerning the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, thus increasing critical thinking and reducing the harmful effects of mis/disinformation around the topic. Who is eligible to apply? Media outlets (print, TV, radio, online media) satisfying following criteria: Registered in North Macedonia, proven by registration document Have at least two years of experience operating as a media outlet in North Macedonia, proven by registration document Have the ability to reach audiences, proven by data demonstrating the outlet’s web site statistics, circulation, reach, etc. Have the ability to produce media content, proven by samples that have been published/aired/posted Applications not meeting the above criteria will not be considered. Each media outlet can only submit one application. Co-productions are also allowed, with one applicant stated as the lead, and others as co-applicant(s). In the case of co-production, all eligibility criteria apply to both the lead applicant and co-applicant(s). Please note that this project tries to ensure that support initiatives such as this are not duplicated and overly concentrated within any one media outlet.  As such, media outlets receiving support under other Foreign and Commonwealth Office - funded efforts may ultimately not be selected to receive funds under this call. What content forms and topics will be supported? Although media outlets can propose content on any medium, preference will be given to multimedia content with the potential to be further promoted and distributed via social media platforms. Proposed topics should stem from the specific objectives of the call identified above and may include, but are not limited to, the following examples: The role of media and journalism in safeguarding freedom of speech; Criteria to assess quality and credible journalism, critically assessing media content both online and offline; Online safety and data protection; Transparency of media financing and media ownership; Recognising inaccurate information in the media; Providing accurate information to counter misleading or false information concerning the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; Helping audiences recognise trustworthy sources of information on the COVID-19 pandemic over misleading and false information; and/or Providing fact-based reporting on such topics as challenges to local economies, respect for human rights, marginalised and/or vulnerable groups, education or media freedom in the light of the COVID -19 pandemic. Eligibility of costs The following costs related to content production will be considered eligible: Salaries and accompanying fringe benefits Production-related costs such as travel, equipment and similar expenses. How to apply? Application form and budget template Applications must be submitted in English, using both the application form and budget template. Supporting documents Each application must be accompanied by: Scanned copy of the organisation's registration document (for lead applicant and any co-applicants). Samples of previous production demonstrating ability to produce media content, preferably with links to previously published content (for lead applicant and any co-applicants). Completed budget form that can be downloaded here. When and how to send the application All applications must be received by 8 June 2020.  Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Applications must be submitted via email to mim@mim.org.mk with “Call for Content Production Grants” in the subject line. Questions Any questions about this call should be submitted by email on or before 1 June 2020 to mim@mim.org.mk with “Call for Content Production Grants” in the subject line. Assessment and selection of applications All applications will be assessed by a selection committee assembled from local and regional media development organisations based on the following criteria: Relevance of the proposed content against the objective of the call (maximum 20 points) Quality of the proposed content, approach to the proposed topic, originality of the proposal, (maximum 40 points) Estimated project reach, proposed content distribution and promotion plan (maximum 10 points) Capacity of the organisation to implement the proposed project, applicant’s technical abilities and experience in content production, commitment of the applicant to professional journalism, experience of the proposed production team (maximum 20 points) Efficiency of proposed costs, value for money (maximum 10 points) Content Production Grant App92.39 KB Content Grant - budget application form23.47 KB

Prominent and respected journalists, editors and media experts convey messages about the role of the journalists and the challenges they face with, on investigative journalism, transparency and financing of media, the role of the public broadcasting service, in order to remind the audiences what professional journalism is and how to recognize it in the vast sea of information that are finding its ways to our screens. The campaign was prepared by the Macedonian Institute for Media and will be run during January and February 2020. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage the citizens to demand professional and ethical journalism that serves the public interest. This initiative is part of the regional campaign for increasing awareness about the importance of the free and professional media. It is prepared in the frames of the project “Citizens for Media – Media for Citizens” that is being implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia with financial support of the European Union.    

The Delegation of the European Union and the Macedonian Institute for Media announce the 17th edition of the Jean Monnet Media Award for best achievements in covering issues related to the theme of "Building a country we want to live in". The Jean Monnet Award will be given in 3 competition categories: Best Journalistic News Item (for news items published in print media and/or web); Best Reporters’ Photography (for photographs published in print media and/or web); Best Amateurs’ Photography. 1. Best Journalistic News Item Competition The participating works in this category are national authors’ news items on "Building a country we want to live in" subject, published in national newspapers, magazines and websites in the period between 25 November 2018 and 26 November 2019. The news item/s should fulfil the following criteria: The news item is on the theme: "Building a country we want to live in"; The news item is published in the period between 25 November 2018 and 26 November 2019; The news item is signed by the author’s real name. Copies of the news item in digital PDF format, together with a written and signed statement by the author, guaranteeing that s/he is the author of the item need to be sent at the following e-mail address: JMcompetition@euhouse.mk, by 27 November 2019, at 18:00 the latest. Applicants will receive an e-mail receipt confirmation by the Europe House.   Award: statuette, certificate and a voucher for a technical equipment in an amount of EUR 1,000. Best Reporters’ Photography Competition (for photographs published in print media and/or web) The competition is open for all professional photo-reporters and photographers from the country, who can submit up to 3 photographs on a "Building a country we want to live in" subject, published in the period between 25 November 2018 and 26 November 2019. The photographs eligible for the competition must fulfil the following criteria: The theme of the photography is related to the theme: "Building a country we want to live in"; The photography is published in the period between 25 November 2018 and 26 November 2019; Photographs used for commercial purposes are not eligible for the competition. Copies of the photography/photographs in digital format (size of each photography 3-5 MB), together with a written and signed statement by the author, guaranteeing that s/he is the author of the photography as well as that he/she is professional photographer, need to be sent, to the following e-mail JMcompetition@euhouse.mk , latest by 27 November 2019, at 18:00. The applicants will receive an e-mail receipt confirmation by the Europe House. Award: statuette, certificate and a voucher for a technical equipment in an amount of EUR 1,000. Best Amateurs’ Photography Competition The competition is open for all photographers from the country, who can submit one photograph on a "We all decide if we have clean environment" subject. The photographs competing in this category may, but do not need to be previously published. The photographs eligible for the competition must fulfil the following criteria: The theme of the photography is related to "We all decide if we have clean environment" subject; Photographs used for commercial purposes are not eligible for the competition. The contestants of this category should submit their applications on the following e-mail address JMcompetition@euhouse.mk, latest by 27 November 2019, at 18:00. Each competitor can submit 1 (one) photograph (size of the photography 3-5 MB) and should guarantee that s/he is the author of the photography by sending a signed statement to the same e-mail address. The applicants will receive an e-mail receipt confirmation by the Europe House. Award: Certificate and voucher for a technical equipment in an amount of EUR 500. Note: This activity is organized in partnership with the Macedonian Institute for Media. The Delegation of the European Union shall not be held responsible for any legal liability arising from any disputes over the copy or author rights, which shall be solely the responsibility of the applicant. The Delegation of the European Union reserves the right to cancel the qualification of the disputed entry and recover any award and prize granted. The activity can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. Other information The jury will consist of seven members – a representative of the EU Delegation, a representative of the Secretariat for European Affairs, the professional photo-reporter winner of the previous year’s Jean Monnet Award, the journalist winner of the previous year’s Jean Monnet Award, a representative of the Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers, a representative of the Macedonian Institute for Media, and prominent journalist from the region as an Honorary President of the Jury. The awarding ceremony will be held on 16 December 2019.  

Media literacy needs to be included in the educational process from the earliest age. In that purpose the most appropriate model that will allow effective and easy integration into the education needs to be identified. This is the conclusion from the public discussion "Introduction of media literacy in the education” which was organized by the Government of Republic of North Macedonia and the Macedonian Institute for Media, in the frames of UNESCO’s Media Literacy Days. The purpose of the discussion was to allow the authorities to hear the opinions and the thoughts of the teachers, professors and students regarding introduction of media literacy in education. Stating that the citizens are “not sufficiently informed or cannot precisely evaluate what is correct and quality information, and what is a lie, untrue information and speculations”, the minister of communications, accountability and transparency, Robert Popovski, expressed his concerns that the country is on the last place in Europe considering the skills of its citizens for evaluation of truthfulness of information.   “The information are not sufficiently checked, there is no interest or willingness for that, the arguments, facts and everything that “bombards” us every day are not well recognized, which is why we must find a way to help the citizens to detect and to better recognize this occurrences”, said Popovski, emphasizing the importance of media literacy in this context. The Minister of education and science Arber Ademi recommended that a best model for integration of media literacy in the national educational curricula should be identified, through inclusive debate, consulting the media and the experts, the analysis on national level and the experience from abroad. It is important to teach the children from earliest age to make distinction between fake and true information, since this approach affects the attitudes and thoughts of every single person for a certain question”, Ademi adds. Media literacy should become part of the educational system and the EU supports all activities of the Government in this direction, said Ferruccio Bogo, political adviser from the EU Delegation. “These activities should contribute for active youth, who can critically consume information, instead of just being consumers. In order to have better results, this process also asks for an appropriate training of the teachers”, Bogo said.   The teachers and the professors consider that it is very important to identify the most appropriate model for introduction of media literacy in education that on one side will not overburden the education process additionally, but on the other, will help the students to effectively develop skills for critical thinking and solving problems. They stressed that training of teachers is very important, and the new Law for teachers which foresees professional development will support them in this complex process. According to the teachers there is a need of good educational policies which will result with an educational system that will function effectively in the practice. The students appealed for more space for expressing and thinking, instead of just memorizing content, as well as for high quality text books and well designed classes that will contribute to more effective and interesting studying process.  The event was cofinanced by the European Union in the frames of the regional project “Media for citizens - Citizens for media”. The photo gallery from the event is available here.  

Journalists and editors from various program departments in MRTV participated at the one-day workshop for strengthening the role of the Public Service Broadcaster in promoting and improving the concept for media literacy in the public sphere in the country. The goal of the workshop was to create unanimous understanding of media literacy concept within the Public Service Broadcaster, and to emphasise the importance of the Public Service Broadcaster as one of the main actors in promotion of media literacy. The workshop was led by Martina Chapman from Ireland, international expert specialized for politics, strategies, researches and projects in the sphere of media literacy. Through practical examples and presentations of experiences from abroad, she helped the participants to define initiatives and ideas that could further strengthen the role of MRT in promoting media literacy. Furthermore, she explained the importance of media literacy in strengthening the interaction with the audience and increasing the trust in the Public Service Broadcaster . Macedonian Institute for Media organized the workshop within the project “Promoting Media Information Literacy and strengthening independent media in the Western Balkans”, which is implemented by Albany Associates from London in partnership with regional media development organizations in Western Balkan countries. The project is funded by the British Government.  

Promoting media literacy and accurate information among youth in R. N. Macedonia Deadline for submission: 28 October 2019Duration of each project: 31 December 2019Size of individual grants: 3.000 GBPTotal number of grants that will be awarded under this call: Up to 2 General informationAlbany Associates (www.albanyassociates.com) and Macedonian Institute for Media, along with regional media development organisations, are implementing a project called “Promoting Media Information Literacy and Strengthening Independent Media in the Western Balkans”.  The project’s primary goals are to build the capacity of media professionals and journalism students in verification, fact-checking, content production and other reporting competencies; and to enhance public service broadcasters' understanding of media and information literacy (MIL) and to improve their ability to deliver MIL campaigns to the public.  The project is being implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, R.N. Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. It is funded by the British Government. Although we anticipate similar calls in all of these countries eventually, only media outlets registered in R.N. Macedonia are eligible for this call.  Objectives of the callAvailable research indicates that young people in R.N. Macedonia lack basic media literacy skills, lack knowledge on standards of professional journalism and are unaware of the responsibilities and role of media in democratic societies. Furthermore, they often lack the skills needed to verify information and protect themselves from misleading or manipulative content and thus would benefit from education in MIL.  Research on attitudes of journalists and discussions with youth in the region also show that both those who produce content and those who consume media believe there is often inaccurate information disseminated on issues of general interest such as health and the environment.  In order to support quality journalism and improve media literacy among audiences in the region, Albany Associates and Macedonian Institute for Media are seeking applications for content production grants, with the following specific objectives (applicants can choose between the two, or combine them): Providing audiences in R.N. Macedonia, in particularly those under 35, access to high quality, innovative media content that will help them to better understand the role of media and the importance of professional and independent journalism. Providing high quality, innovative media content that will provide audiences with accurate information to counter misleading or false information in the areas of health, protecting the environment, local governance or another area of public interest.  Who is eligible to apply?Media outlets (print, TV, radio, online media) satisfying following criteria: Registered in R. N. Macedonia, proven by registration document Have at least two years of experience operating as a media outlet in R.N. Macedonia, proven by registration document   Have the ability to reach audiences, proven by data demonstrating the outlet’s web site statistics, circulation, reach, etc. Have the ability to produce media content, proven by samples that have been published/aired/posted Applications not meeting the above criteria will not be considered. Each media outlet can only submit one application. Co-productions are also allowed, with one applicant stated as the lead, and others as co-applicant(s). In the case of co-production, all eligibility criteria apply to both the lead applicant and co-applicant(s). What content forms and topics will be supported?Although media outlets can propose content on any medium, preference will be given to multimedia content with the potential to be further promoted and distributed via social media platforms. Proposed topics should stem from the specific objectives of the call identified above and may include, but are not limited to, the following examples: The role of media and journalism in safeguarding freedom of speech; Criteria to assess the quality and credible journalism; searching, critically assessing media content both online and offline; Online safety and data protection; Recognizing inaccurate information in the media; Transparency of media financing and media ownership; or Providing accurate information to counter misleading or false information in the areas of health, gender, protecting the environment, local governance or another area of public interest. Eligibility of costsThe following costs related to content production will be considered eligible: Salaries and accompanying fringe benefits Production-related costs such as travel, equipment and similar expenses. How to apply? Application form and budget template Applications must be submitted in English, using both the:  application form (download here)  budget template (download here) Supporting documentsEach application must be accompanied by: Scanned copy of the organisation's registration document (for lead applicant and any co-applicants). Samples of previous production demonstrating ability to produce media content, preferably with links to previously published content (for lead applicant and any co-applicants). Completed budget form When and how to send the applicationAll applications must be received by 28 October 2019.  Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Applications must be submitted via email to mim@mim.org.mk with “Call for Content Production Grants” in the subject line. QuestionsAny questions about this call should be submitted by email on or before 18 October 2019 to mim@mim.org.mk  with “Call for Content Production Grants” in the subject line. Assessment and selection of applicationsAll applications will be assessed by a selection committee assembled from local and regional media development organisations based on the following criteria: Relevance of the proposed content against the objective of the call (maximum 20 points) Quality of the proposed content, approach to the proposed topic,  originality of the proposal, (maximum 40 points) Proposed content distribution and promotion plan (maximum 10 points) Capacity of the organisation to implement the proposed project, applicant’s technical abilities and experience in content production, commitment of the applicant to professional journalism, experience of the proposed production team (maximum 20 points)   Efficiency of proposed costs, value for money (maximum 10 points)