State Media and Democracy Newsletter

Vol. 1-3, 1998 – 1999

Katerina Popova (ed.)

ACCESS Association, Sofia ISSN 1311-7521

(Language: English)

This Newsletter is published within ACCESS’ Media Freedom and Monitoring in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania Project implemented in 1997-1999.

The Newsletter aims at establishing the degree to which state television and radio in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania comply with the principles of objectivity, balance and protection of public interests in covering domestic and international news.

In the effort to avoid subjective evaluation of the state electronic media in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania, the team develops special registration cards used in monitoring news and current affairs programmes.

In the Newsletter, readers can find detailed statistical information on the objective features of broadcasts, such as time frame, genre, source, subject, participants and types of questions, as well as expert analysis on these data. The development of impressive database since the start of monitoring in August 1997 facilitates identification of trends in the Bulgarian electronic media. It also provides adequate basis for initial conclusions, as well as for comparative analysis of the media in the three target countries.

The articles in the Newsletter present the findings of the media experts (from Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania) at regular news conferences. The news conferences and the Newsletter attracted interest of both journalistic communities and the general public in the three countries.