The International Press Institute (IPI) today jointly publishes a report outlining the fragile media freedom progress in North Macedonia that was produced following an international fact-finding mission to the country. The report – Media Freedom in North Macedonia: Fragile Progress – was published today and is available online.

This report presents the findings and recommendations stemming from an international fact-finding mission to North Macedonia that took place from 5 to 7 June 2023, organised by the Association of Journalists of Macedonia.

The fact-finding mission of representatives of five leading press freedom organisations, including IPI, visited the country, meeting with the most relevant policymakers in Skopje to assess the persistent problems of the media sector.

It was joined by representatives of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), International Press Institute (IPI), European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT)

The mission found progress has been made in recent years as the country continues to recover from the severe deterioration of media freedom during the previous decade. However, this progress is fragile, and much work remains to be done to consolidate these gains and tackle systemic challenges.

The report contains a policy paper prepared by IPI which outlines the case for a fund for public interest journalism in North Macedonia. The report was launched by the Association of Journalists of Macedonia at an event in Skopje on 30 October 2023.