Sekulovski: While there are parties that agree on the table what MRT should look like, we will have a situation where the vision will be difficult to fulfill
The analysis of Metamorphosis, which shows that the Public Service has 755 employees, and 1224 are needed, of which 205 are journalists, 407 are needed, according to AJM Executive Director Dragan Sekulovski, is an indicator that those activities that were undertaken to reform MRT are wrong and the way some changes were agreed.
- While there are parties that agree on the table what MRT should look like, how many employees it should have, in how many languages the program should be, what the program should be, we will have a situation like this where the mission and vision will be difficult to fulfill. The citizens, the journalists, the public are the ones who should talk about MRT and not the political parties, hence the results due to the bad policies, says Sekulovski.
He believes that the leadership in the Public Service is a challenge, but the problems, says Sekulovski, are layered, not only the leadership, but above all the political will, as well as some people who work inside and have resistance to follow trends in times of digitalization.
- There are repressed staff who can not get space, but the political will is key, says the director of AJM.
He enumerates that every year there are promises of fundamental changes from politicians, and they happen cosmetically.
- Essentials mean independent funding, which will not depend on any government or official and have a management elected by consensus, and which will not be attached to any political party. So to have money obtained in an independent way and decent management that will not have relations with any political party, emphasizes Sekulovski.
Among other things, he spoke about the problems faced by the correspondents in Macedonia, ie the non-investment by the media in topics of local character, as well as the salaries of journalists, which are often below the average in the country.
Recently, Macedonia has made little progress, by three places, in terms of the World Index of Media Freedom, but as Sekulovski says, it is a jump in place.
- It is not progress but a jump in place. Macedonia had good times when we were once on the 36th position, today we are at 92, but also better than 123 place where we were a year ago. If the requests of the journalists were accepted, and in order to improve the legislation and the financing of MRT and other media, the picture would be different. When a journalist has a better standard, and not like this when most journalists have a salary below average, no greater results can be expected. And all this is reflected on that Index and that is why Macedonia is in place, and we want much more, said Dragan Sekulovski in the "Morning briefing" on "Slobodna TV".