AJM Alarm: Lack of Rules for Paid Political Advertising in Online Media Creates Corruption Risks

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) expresses serious concern about the way paid political advertising (PPA) in online media continues to be implemented. Ahead of the upcoming local elections, AJM once again highlights the absence of criteria and regulation in this area, which enables “suspicious” portals without transparency to receive significant amounts of public funds.

This situation creates room for abuse – some of the registered “portals” are websites with unknown ownership or without an impressum, often newly created just before elections with the sole purpose of channeling state money into party campaigns. Such practices distort the media landscape and represent potential party-media corruption, to the detriment of professional media outlets and the public interest.

AJM welcomes the initiative to establish a register of online portals under the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS), but calls for urgent steps to harmonize electoral regulations in order to prevent corruption in the media sphere and ensure fair conditions for all media.

Record Number of Registered Online Media for PPA

The State Election Commission (SEC) announced that out of a total of 333 media outlets that submitted applications for paid political advertising for the upcoming local elections scheduled for 19 October 2025, as many as 257 were internet portals.

For comparison, during last year’s parliamentary and presidential elections, a record 251 portals applied for PPA in 2024. This figure was significantly higher than in the local elections of 2021, when 176 portals participated, as well as in the 2020 parliamentary elections with 235 portals. It is evident that the trend of online media registering for state-financed advertising campaigns is increasing with each electoral cycle.

Lack of Criteria and Risk of Abuse

AJM warns that the current Electoral Code does not set clear criteria for which online media may receive funds for paid political advertising. Although media outlets are formally required to register with the SEC with a price list, there are no concrete rules regarding the conditions that online portals must meet to qualify.

This creates space for abuse – some of the registered “portals” are websites with unknown ownership or without an impressum, often created shortly before elections with the sole purpose of channeling state money into party campaigns. Such practices distort the media landscape and represent potential party-media corruption, to the detriment of professional media outlets and the public interest.

International observers share this concern. The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission for the 2024 elections noted in its report that “there are no specific rules for online portals,” and many portals were created immediately before elections precisely to obtain state funds. ODIHR recommended that if this model continues, it is urgent to establish “clear and objective criteria for the eligibility of online portals for state reimbursement of paid political advertising.” Similarly, the State Audit Office, in its report on the 2024 elections, emphasized the need to amend the Electoral Code – to define criteria that electronic media must meet in order to participate in political advertising, to establish precise rules for the allocation of public funds, and to determine the competent authority for monitoring the presentation of online portals during campaigns.

New AVMS Online Media Register – A Positive Step Forward

The introduction of the Register of Online Media Publishers under AVMS represents a positive step towards greater transparency and professionalization. At the initiative of the Ministry for Digital Transformation, the recent amendments to the Media Law recognized internet portals for the first time as media entities with corresponding rights and obligations.

In order to be officially registered, portals must now meet specific requirements, including:

• be a legal entity registered in the Central Register with media activity;
• have a registered office and editorial office in North Macedonia;
• possess a national internet domain (.mk or .мкд);
• employ at least two full-time staff members (or one employee and one contracted associate).

These registration criteria should ensure that only serious and responsible online media obtain media status. However, it is concerning that none of these requirements apply when registering with the SEC for paid political advertising – any portal, even without an editorial office or employees, may apply for public advertising funds. This means that election campaigns continue to involve portals that are not subject to any credibility checks.

So far, interest in the official AVMS register has been modest. According to publicly available information, a total of 49 online media have registered with the AVMS register since the legal amendments came into effect. This figure represents only 20% of the number of portals that applied for state-financed election advertising last year. The low representation of portals in the official register suggests that the majority of those receiving public funds either do not meet or are unwilling to publicly declare the above standards.

Professional Online Media and the Importance of Promedia.mk

AJM reminds that self-regulation in the online sphere is equally important as legal regulation. As early as 2019, AJM, in cooperation with the Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia (CMEM), established the first Register of Professional Online Media – Promedia.mk, in order to clearly distinguish credible portals from propaganda websites.

At present, this voluntary register includes 105 online media that have transparent ownership structures and have committed to respect professional journalism standards. The number of members of Promedia.mk is subject to change – it is expected to grow as new media outlets that meet the criteria join, while outlets that violate its principles may be excluded.

AJM believes that citizens, institutions, and especially political actors should use this resource to differentiate between responsible media and those that spread disinformation or act as party mouthpieces.

Appeal to Political Parties: Direct Campaigns Towards Registered Media

To avoid further fostering corruption in the media sphere, AJM appeals to political parties participating in the local elections to consider the AVMS register or the Promedia.mk register when deciding how to allocate public funds for party advertising, in order to support credible journalism in the interest of citizens.

In the absence of a supervisory mechanism over online portals during campaigns, the political will and ethical choice of parties remain crucial for maintaining a healthy media environment.

Electoral Reforms Needed for Online Media

Unfortunately, these local elections are once again being held under old rules, without the adoption of the proposed amendments for greater transparency in the online sphere. AJM recalls that media and journalists’ organizations have repeatedly requested changes to the Electoral Code, but these were not adopted for the current elections.

As a result, the same problematic provisions remain in place, creating unfair market conditions – professional media find themselves in an uncertain position against the influx of party-financed portals.

Additionally, unlike broadcasters, online media are not required to provide balanced election coverage, which means that parties can finance certain portals without any obligation to ensure pluralistic content. This legal gap may have long-term consequences on political pluralism and citizens’ right to diverse information.