Media Freedom and Monitoring in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania (1997-1999)

ACCESS Association was encouraged to launch this project, as its Balkan Neighbours Project (1996-1998) identified the need to organize debates on the role of the electronic media as institutions, which serve the public interest.

Тhe project philosophy was to contribute to the change of the current perception and actual role of the electronic media (radio and television) in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania; to stimulate and update public debate in these societies on the role of the media in the democratic societies, and to provide a monitoring sample, which will, over time, give an indication of the “level of democratization of the media”. This sample served not only to provide information on media development, but also, through analysis of subject matter, as an indicator of more general political and social trends.

The project activities included groups of monitors, which recorded and analyzed representative Radio and TV programmes. As a result of the analysis of representative radio and TV programmes, a bi-annual State Media and Democracy Newsletter was published in English. Within the project, Charter of Journalistic Ethics was also produced and circulated.

This project was instrumental in creating and reinforcing regional relations, with increased mutual assistance and exchange of know-how among persons and groups dedicated to democracy building in the region.