BFMI Report - The Invisible Hand of Media Censorship: Three Examples from the Balkans

The Balkan Free Media Initiative (BFMI) has published its report examining political manipulation of media markets in Bulgaria, Serbia and North Macedonia. 

The report, titled The Invisible Hand of Media Censorship: Three Examples from the Balkans, points to the clear decline in media freedoms across the Balkans and calls for greater action to tackle the shady commercial practices used to control media markets.

The main practices identified include: 

·       Control of public broadcasters and regulatory authorities

·       Abuse of weak regulation on transparency of ownership

·       Abuse of government subsidies to foster clientelism in weak, over-saturated media markets 

The report highlights further abuses of the media market specific to the three case studies:

1.     In Bulgaria, an EU-member state, non-transparent distribution of EU funds is being used to buy favour with media outlets.

2.     In Serbia, many media owners and operators have close ties to the ruling SNS party, and the government is increasingly using state-owned entities such as Telekom Srbija to manipulate the commercial market.

3.     In North Macedonia, state financing of the media sector continues despite promises of reform from the government.

“These states cannot be allowed to keep up the pretence of reforming the media sector in ways appealing to the EU while undermining media freedoms. Free discourse is the lifeblood of democracy. The longer these insidious practices are allowed to continue, the harder it will be to undo the damage they have caused,” said Antoinette Nikolova, director of BFMI, speaking ahead of the report’s launch event at the Press Club in Brussels. “It is time for the EU to face up to its responsibilities. Failure to do so will weaken democratic governance in the region and allow countries such as China and Russia to gain a stronger a foothold there.”

The full report can be read here.