OSCE Mission to Skopje donation helps Broadcasting Council monitor media's election coverage

SKOPJE, 29 November 2008 - The Broadcasting Council now is better equipped to monitor election campaigns to improve the enforcement of broadcasting legislation, thanks to a donation from the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje, handed over in a ceremony today.

This digital video recording and computer equipment aims to help the broadcasting regulatory body to increase the quality of the enforcement of the broadcasting legislation. Some of it was installed in time to help with monitoring this year's parliamentary election campaigns.

"In a complex media landscape like this one with many broadcasters, it is crucial for the Broadcasting Council to stay independent and regulate the media market in a fair and professional manner," said the Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Natalya Drozd. "Technical equipment is important to collect data."

The President of the Broadcasting Council, Zoran Stefanoski, said the donation helped the agency carry out its tasks.

"The OSCE donation will be of great help especially during the 2009 presidential and local elections. To monitor the elections fully and professionally, we need a monitoring system we can rely on at any time," he said.

Following the campaign period prior to the 2008 elections, 177 penalty steps were taken against broadcasters that violated either the Broadcast Law or the rules for covering political campaigns.

The project, which is worth nearly 30,000 euros, also includes a software update of the data processing system, which will make the process of media monitoring and reporting even more effective.