Polyparty-ism - Search for Common Ground

couldn't be differed from the every
day politics, according to the party
they have belonged. Therefore, their
contribution could not get a positive
mark, especially if we take into consideration
the journalist's ethics based
on the new European standards. This
is the situation with the Macedonian
media, who have failed on the test.
They created affairs out of a little
insignificant incident. They did not
choose lines that would lead towards
coexistence with the other nationalities.
On a contrary, they have "served"
the Macedonian political parties in a
fanatic way. Instead of finding common
ground, the Macedonian media
have run after politic and state aims.
One sad, but true example is the one of
the newspaper "Nova Makedonija"
that was a representative of two different
types of politics. In that way, the
Albanians have defended their own
interests, while the Macedonians were
defending theirs.
Marijan Gelevski, assistant chief
editor of the newspaper "Vecher"
The media have not started the
war and consequently they couldn't
have prevented it. Unfortunately, during
the crisis, some media have lost
their sense of reality and in the attempt
to take a side; they have turned themselves
into even greater initiators.
"Vecher", on the other hand, was trying
to reach maximum objectivity and
accuracy in reporting by avoiding giving
personal comments or stigmatizing
one side.
Risto Lazarov, editor in chief of the
TV station "Telma"
For all of us in "Telma", a decisive
part is the fact that from everything
that was happening to us, we came out
with clear conscience. In the fight for
high professional standards, we
haven't been tempted; we haven't lit
any fuse that might have caused additional
media detonation. We became a
TV station in which people believe
and that fact is of major importance
for us. On the other hand, the question
about the (dis)possession of the
power of the media and the
Macedonian public in general, has
appeared with all its cruelty in this
dramatic period. One can write as long
as one wants, one can discover and
present facts, but the authorities "don't
give a damn" for it. They have filled
their pockets with fortune. And this is
the defeating fact: complete marginalization
of the public influence on the
political life. The authorities more and
more believe that nothing can harm
them and they are acting according to
that belief. The only thing that's left
for the people is fear.
In the normal world everything is
different, but we are here in
Macedonia, where the spring is
announced with aggressions and not
with snowdrops.
Jadranka Kostova, editor in the TV
station "Kanal 5"
There is no consensus for the reasons,
character and all the other features
of this war. Then the answer to
this question will depend on the
answer to the previous ones. If we
accept the theses that this was a war for
human rights and that the Constitution
is the generator for the war crisis, than
all the media that for the past 10 years
have conspired the not changing of the
Constitution in this sense, have really
initiated the war. To be clearer, if the
media for the past 10 years have insisted
to change the Constitution, maybe
they would have prevented the war.
For those who thought that the
weapons are illegal instruments for
achieving any kind of goals, no matter
if it is about Ali Ahmeti and his followers
or Zhivko Tolevski with the
members of the Syndicate, it can be
said that all media that were approving
the war actions, directly or indirectly,
have also encouraged the war. On the
other hand, it is a fact that in the past
period, a good part from the media
have warned about the presence of
training caps in Macedonia and of
KLA fighters preparing an aggression
in Macedonia. Nevertheless, nothing
of this has reached to the authorities.
Despite of the conscientiously accomplished
task, they have prevented nothing.
The media in Macedonia have not
provoked the war, but maybe they
have had some influence on the
increasing of the tension in the multiethnic
relationships. With this I don't
try to imply certain comments or publishing
policies, but on the other hand,
a good part of the news from the front
have caused this type of effect. Every
funeral of one of our guardians has
provoked greater tension between the
citizens. And this kind of effect could
not have been provoked by a single
comment.
Zoran Ivanov, editor in the
TV station "Sitel"
We - the journalists in Macedonia
and their media, during the crisis, generally
have demonstrated maturity and
responsibility for the security and the
destiny of this country influenced by
the institutions of the system (the
President of the state, the
Government, the Prime Minister, the
Parliament, its President and most of
its members). We have demonstrated
greater maturity and responsibility
than the leaders of the political parties,
as well. First of all, we lied less than
any one of them. Second, our words
didn't cause any additional tension in
the war atmosphere. Third, we demonstrated
greater human, citizen and
especially multiethnic and multinational
tolerance than the ones with
state and political functions. Fourth,
we believed, which ahs proved to be
truth, in the preparedness of the common
people to live together in one
country, town and village, a simple,
common, every day life and to develop
and nourish the tolerance in their
relationships despite the ethnic, religious
and social differences. Fifth, we
didn't sell our country, unlike the people
chosen and responsible for the
security, the development of the relationship
between its people; we didn't
sell false patriotism, a cheap, familiar
demagogical patriotism.
Therefore I think that, generally
speaking, the journalists and the media
in Macedonia, despite their ethnic,
national orientation or the language as
the media's instrument for expressing,
have demonstrated greater maturity and
responsibility in the most critical days
of the Republic of Macedonia. If you
remember, that wasn't the situation with
the media in the former Yugoslav
republics devastated by the wars they
had, because of the ethno-national
aggressiveness concentrated in the insolent
propaganda, which have supported
the conflicts and raised the national
zeal, directing them towards merciless
wars and ethnic cleansings. Fortunately,
Macedonian media and journalists have
prevented such shameful act.
(The author is journalist in
"Utrinski Vesnik")
73
Will there be peace?, February 2002