PERCEPTION OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION OF MEDIA WORKERS IN THE EASTERN REGION OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

Abstract

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right guaranteed by several UN legal
instruments, the Council of Europe, of the EU and other international organizations. Republic
of N. Macedonia as a member state of the UN, of the Council of Europe and other international
organizations, has implemented the right to freedom of expression in the Constitution of the
State and the Laws. Consider that in every society the freedom of expression is a mirror of
democracy, the level of democracy could be measured through level of protection of this
right. The media and journalists, in their daily professional duties, face various pressures
from certain centers of power, which restrict the implementation of their right to freedom of
expression. The subject of this paper is a research of the perception of media workers about
the right to freedom of expression, as well as, the reasons that contribute to the restriction of
this right. The aim of the research was to obtain actual data about the perception of the degree
of censorship and self-censorship of media workers in the media in the Eastern region of the
Republic of N. Macedonia. The basic guide question in the research is “What is the perception
of media workers about the degree of freedom of expression in the East Planning Region of
the Republic of N. Macedonia?”