On 28 June 2021, as part of the conference “Critical Thinking for Mediawise Citizens” was promoted an online publication entitled “Analysis of Covid-19 related disinformation in North Macedonia.”

The publication was promoted at the second session entitled “Critical Opinion vs. Media Manipulations and Conspiracy Theories related to Covid-19” which was attended by:

  • Ivaylo Conev, Project Coordinator for North Macedonia and Bulgaria, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
  • Aleksandar Stojanovski, Administrative Director, Eurothink
  • Katarina Sinadinovska, President of the Management Board, Council for Media Ethics – CEMM
  • Filip Stojanovski, Metamorphosis Foundation

The study “Analysis of Covid- 19 related disinformation in North Macedonia” provides an overview of disinformation trends that have hampered efforts to stop the spread of the pandemic during 2020 and identifies the factors that contribute to the susceptibility of citizens to various media and political manipulations, as well as conspiracy theories and commercial abuse of fear through fake medicine. As a candidate for membership in the European Union, RNM shares characteristics with other transitional environments, such as the huge need for reform and modernization of the education system, as well as the renewal of the health system as a basis for restoring trust in state institutions. The observations and recommendations obtained from this study are of wider significance, as they are applicable to all environments where similar conditions prevail, but also to developed democracies that are in danger of regressing if the takeover of power by undemocratic, liberal and extremist movements using fear as a political weapon.

This analysis, developed and conducted in close collaboration between the Friedrich Naumann and Metamorphosis Foundations, is based on direct experiences from the project “Critical Thinking for Madiawize Citizens – CriThink, the “Truthmeter” fact-checking service, the News Agency “Meta.mk” and the news portal in Albanian “Portalb.mk”, as well as information on the activities of all mentioned stakeholders who in the past in various ways opposed the infodemia.

You can watch the conference and the promotion on the following link.

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