Invitation for a panel discussion “The Gordian Knot of Harmful Narratives in Politics and the Media”
PANEL DISCUSSION
“The Gordian Knot of Harmful Narratives in Politics and the Media”
April 11, 2025 (Friday), Holiday Inn hotel, Skopje
10:00 – 13:00 hours
Political communication based on ethics is key to building trust among citizens and protecting democratic processes. Political actors and the media have a responsibility to inform in a transparent and accurate manner, without manipulation, thereby preventing the spread of harmful narratives and polarization in society.
The Institute for Communication Studies (ICS) invites you to participate in the panel discussion “The Gordian Knot of Harmful Narratives in Politics and the Media”, to be held on April 11, 2025, at 10:00 AM, at the Holiday Inn Hotel – Skopje.
At the panel discussion, ICS will present the communication guide intended for the political actors and journalists titled “The Gordian Knot of Harmful Narratives in Politics and the Media”. This publication is presenting and explaining the harmful narratives in the Macedonian political discourse, their consequences, the violation of communication standards, and it also provides recommendations for political actors and journalists.
The panel discussion will be opened by Vesna Bendevska, Vice President of the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia and will feature MPs, editors and journalists discussing the importance of ethical political communication and the role of the media in preventing harmful narratives in political and public discourse.
The guide is the outcome of the research titled Measuring Political Harmful Narratives (ШТЕТ-НА) of the ICS, conducted in cooperation with researchers, journalists and media professionals, with support from the British Embassy in Skopje. Over a period of nine months (September 2023 − May 2024), the narratives of political actors were analyzed by using posts on official websites and Facebook profiles of parliamentary parties, of their leaders and ministers, as well as texts from online media and from the central news of national televisions.
All parties that are interested are invited to register their participation at the conference no later than April 9 (Wednesday). REGISTRATION LINK
*For participants coming from outside of Skopje, travel expenses will be covered in the amount of a return bus ticket.
The panel discussion is organized by ICS within the framework of the “Use Facts” project, supported by the British Embassy in Skopje.
Contact person: Aleksandra Temenugova, program manager –
Please also find enclosed the agenda for the event.
AGENDA
09:30 – 10:00 Registration
10:00 – 10:10 Opening remarks
- Vesna Bendevska, Vice President of the Parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia
10:10 – 10.20 Presentation of the publication: The Gordian Knot of Harmful Narratives in Politics and the Media” – Mihajlo Lahtov MA, co-author of the publication
10:20 – 11:00 Discussion
- Oliver Spasovski, coordinator of the parliamentary group of the coalition “For a European Macedonia” and MP of SDSM
- Nikola Micevski, coordinator of the parliamentary group of the “Your Macedonia” coalition and MP of VMRO-DPMNE
- Halil Snopche, coordinator of the parlamentary group of Vredi coalition and MP of Alliance of Albanians
- Mladen Chadikovski, president of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) and editor in TV 24
- Leonora Kaliqi, editor at MRT 2 and member of the Council for Media Ethics of Macedonia Board (CEMM)
- Aleksandar Damovski, editor-in-chief of the online media outlet MKD.mk
11:00 – 12:20 Questions and answers
12:20 – 12:30 Conclusions
12:30 – 13:15 Cocktail
Moderator: Aleksandra Temenugova, research team member and program manager at ICS