The Association of Journalists of Macedonia and the Ministry of Internal Affairs promoted the Protocol for the Safety of Journalists on the Internet, with a focus on female journalists. The protocol provides for a designated person-contact point for internet threats against journalists and, in general, media workers. The protocol offers practical steps for journalists to act when they are the subject of a threat through social networks and, in general, on the Internet, through the proactive involvement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the protection of media workers. This is one of the series of activities jointly implemented by the Ministry of the Interior and the ZNM to improve the safety of journalists, since 2017, when a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed.

At today's meeting between the Minister of Internal Affairs Oliver Spasovski and the president of ZNM Mladen Chadikovski, discussed other aspects of the safety of journalists and media workers while performing their activities, the threats that are present in the internet space, the need for free and unhindered reporting of events in the field, the efficiency in the protection of journalists with the full implementation of the legal instruments that have the institutions, and the excellent cooperation between the Ministry of the Interior and the ZNM was emphasized.

Our commitment as a ministry is clear to provide journalists with all the conditions for them to do their work smoothly, and we have shown this from 2017 until now. There must be no doubt about that, because the freedom of the media is one of the basic pillars on which democracy rests. And this Protocol, in the creation of which representatives from the Ministry of the Interior, the National Academy of Sciences and experts from the academic community participated, offers solutions that will contribute to every journalist, especially female journalists, feeling safe, but also knowing how to act in cases of threats via the Internet. For us, the freedom of journalists is a priority and in that direction we continue with subsequent activities in cooperation with ZNM. In the previous period, we carried out numerous trainings, jointly with ZNM and the OSCE Mission in Skopje, we developed the Manual for the safety of journalists during high-risk events, and today we can state that the Protocol for the safety of journalists on the Internet has also been developed. stressed Minister Spasovski.

Chadikovski said that this Protocol is a plus step in building a safe working atmosphere for journalists.

We believe that this is a positive step in the framework of increasing the safety of fellow journalists. Today, we not only face threats to our security, but we also face the danger of online threats, where, unfortunately, female journalists are the major victims. In this way, we expect the attacks and the danger from them to decrease, and the impunity of the perpetrator to disappear. We hope that the recommendations found in this protocol will find their place in building a safe atmosphere for journalists to work, Chadikovski said.

In the process of preparing this Protocol, extensive analyzes were made, the current legal literature on the subject was used, as well as numerous institutional practices, in order to find the best approach for greater protection and safety of journalists on the Internet. In this way, the possibility of self-censorship due to existing fear of attack will be reduced, and the freedom of expression and professional journalistic standards will be increased. Members of the working group composed for the preparation of this protocol by ZNM were Mladen Chadikovski and Dragan Sekulovski, Nikola Dujovski, professor at the Faculty of Security Skopje at UKLO Bitola, Jasna Bachovska Nedić, professor at the Faculty of Law "Justinian prvi" Skopje, Toni Angelovski, assistant to the Minister of Public Relations and Strategic Planning at the Ministry of the Interior, and Sashka Cvetkovska, from the female journalists, members of the working group , Evi Shkopi and Kristina Atovska.