AJM: Journalists Continue to Face Digital Threats, Financial Insecurity and Impunity

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) published its Annual Report, titled “Indicators on the Level of Media Freedom and the Journalists’ Safety Index 2025.” The document provides a broad overview of the state of media freedom, professional independence, and the safety of journalists and other media workers in North Macedonia.

According to the report, 2025 brought several positive steps, including the establishment of an online media register and the selection of new members to the councils of the media regulatory body and MRT. Despite these developments, key reforms and the full alignment of national legislation with European Union rules, including the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), have yet to be completed.

Legal safeguards continue to be applied inconsistently in practice. At the same time, the independence and effectiveness of some institutions remain matters of public debate.

The report also contains a dedicated section on the Journalists’ Safety Index. The conditions in which journalists carry out their work are analyzed across four main dimensions: the legal and organizational framework, prevention, institutional procedures, and the actual level of safety.

The data show that the response of institutions has improved in some cases involving physical attacks. However, online threats, hate speech, attempts at public discrediting, economic insecurity, and the still insufficiently effective fight against impunity continue to be identified as serious problems.

The increase in online harassment and sexist attacks against female journalists is a particular cause for alarm. This trend shows that the digital environment is becoming an increasingly unsafe space for the professional practice of journalism.

The economic fragility of the media also remains among the key issues. The weak socioeconomic position of journalists, particularly those working in private and local media, job insecurity, and the risks associated with the return of state advertising could undermine media pluralism, editorial autonomy, and transparency in the allocation of public funds.

The annual document was prepared within the framework of the regional SafeJournalists network, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. SafeJournalists is the largest regional initiative monitoring media freedom and journalists’ safety in the Western Balkans. AJM is part of the network alongside partner journalists’ associations from the region.

Over the past 10 years, SafeJournalists has developed a standardized and unique research methodology that provides reliable, relevant, and comparable data across countries in the region. The data and findings from AJM’s reports also serve as a reference point for international reports addressing media freedom and human rights, including documents issued by the European Commission and the U.S. Department of State.

The report is regarded as an important tool for developing evidence-based policies and monitoring reforms in the media sector. Punishing attacks against journalists, aligning national legislation with European standards, and improving professional and economic working conditions remain essential to ensuring free, independent, and safe journalism in North Macedonia.