Disinformation Trends and Narratives in the Western Balkans: Media Monitoring Report for the Period July-December2022

This report is based on a continuous monitoring process of domestic media in North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, and BosniaHerzegovina conducted within the framework of the regional project Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub: Exposing Malign Influences through Watchdog Journalism. It presents an overview of disinformation trends and narratives, their distribution between countries, and their sources for the period of July-December 2022.

 

During the monitoring period, the most frequent theme for disinformation in all Western Balkan countries was “The Russian war in Ukraine.” The narratives varied, but tended to present a negative picture of Ukraine as a neo-Nazi and war profiteer that sells military aid that other countries donate. The second most frequent theme was “The West is responsible for the war,” which means “The war is actually between the USA and Russia,” alongside the narrative that “NATO expansion is to blame for Russia’s aggression.”

Evaluating North Macedonia’s Media Law Reforms—A Partial Step Toward European Standards

North Macedonia is undergoing reforms to its media legislation, aiming to align with European Union (EU) standards. The Metamorphosis Foundation welcomes the initiative of the Government of Republic of North Macedonia to align national media legislation with European standards, particularly in the context of Chapter 23 of the EU acquis and the European Media Freedom […]

DISINFORMATION TRENDS AND NARRATIVES IN THE WESTERN BALKAN REGION, MEDIA MONITORING REPORT OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2024

In the final quarter of 2024, the information environment in the Western Balkans was heavily saturated with disinformation, particularly anti-democratic narratives featuring anti-Western and anti-EU rhetoric. These were largely fueled by the region’s domestic political developments, from protests to electoral cycles, as well as the U.S. presidential election. Although disinformation about Russia’s war against Ukraine […]

STATE FUNDING IN NORTH MACEDONIA: MAKING THE SYSTEM FAIRER, STRONGER, AND MORE TRANSPARENT

This policy document builds on the findings of an in-depth study on paid political advertising during the 2024 parliamentary elections.[1] It aims to identify sustainable and realistic, long-term solutions to improve the system of political financing in the country. And, whilst we have focused on the use of indirect state funding through media – inclusive […]