North Macedonia
WHEN FAILURE TO ACT IS A MURDER
Impunity for all forms of gender-based violence gives rise to distrust in institutions, and encourages the repeat of violence and its culmination in femicide. “A state that does not act is a state that kills” is one of the slogans that can be heard during the March 8 protest marches in the capital, Skopje, for …
SENSATIONAL HEADLINES BREED HATE SPEECH
Regardless of whether they post from their personal or fake profiles on social media, Macedonians, can be described as being very “eloquent” when it comes to spreading hate speech. Hate speech is not unknown to users of social media in Macedonia. On the contrary – when it comes to a stereotypical or political topic, the …
MONTHLY MONITORING HIGHLIGHT: Homophobia and ethnic discrimination throughout December
Throughout the month of December, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful discourse. There has been a rise in homophobia and ethnic discrimination in the region. Homophobia in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Kosovo The release of the animated children’s movie, Strange World by Disney has sparked much controversy within the …
Monthly Monitoring Highlight: Discrimination and hate in the Western Balkans media throughout November
Throughout the month of November, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month we have identified religious discrimination, sexism, anti-migrant rhetoric, and homophobia in the region. Religious discrimination in Montenegro The former president of the Municipal Assembly of Petnjica, Adnan Muhović, has made derogatory comments in reference to …
STRUGGLING FOR THE TRUTH IN THE BALKANS
The general lack of balanced discussion in the media in the Balkans deprives the public of accurate information and damages professional journalism. Civil society actors are using social networks to send different messages and fight disinformation, but their reach is limited and often includes people who are already aware of the issues. Yet, these voices are important in the struggle for truthful information and a just society.
Monthly monitoring highlight: Sexism and homophoia across the Balkans
Throughout the month of October, the RDN monitoring team has detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month there has been a rise in sexism, misogyny and homophobia, alongside hate speech against political opponents. Sexism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and Albania In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a private user on Facebook spread extremely …
Monthly monitoring highlight: Homophobia and other hateful content throughout September
Throughout the month of September, the RDN monitoring team have detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse. This month, there has been a rise in homophobia, but other forms of hatred have also been detected. Homophobia in Serbia and Albania This month, there was a significant rise in homophobia in Serbia across both traditional …
TROLL OF THE MONTH – SELECTION CRITERIA
The goal of the Reporting Diversity Network 2.0 monitoring is to identify and document the most significant cases (‘incidents’) of hate speech and divisive discourses in the Western Balkans media. Incidents are defined by the speaker regardless of where they occurred, but monitoring refers to their media coverage. They can originate in the Parliament, party …
TROLL OF THE MONTH: Savo Niković, a member of the Democrats in Montenegro
The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region. The September Troll of the Month is Savo Niković, a …