AJM and MI: Through better communication to greater safety of media workers

Challenges in reporting and documenting events from in the Polog region and improving the communication of journalists with representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, especially with younger officials, were the topics of yesterday’s meeting held in the Ministry of the Interior of Tetovo.
Journalists from the Tetovo region and representatives of the Ministry of the Interior discussed ways to improve the work of journalists and how they could more safely perform their tasks in the field, without obstruction.
Cooperation between media representatives and the police is necessary especially when it comes to specific events such as protests and public gatherings, official and protocol visits to the city of Tetovo, but also cases in which there were various legal violations or accidents in public space. These cases were presented at this working meeting, and it was discussed the need for mutual respect between the police and the media in order to deepen mutual understanding but also to strengthen the safety of journalists and cameramen.
It was concluded that more work and training are needed in the future, especially with the younger generations of officials in the Ministry of the Interior who have less experience in their work. In that manner, future misunderstandings would be prevented, but also mutual respect and professional and responsible communication between the police and the media would be improved, which would contribute to building strong cooperation between the community and the police as well.
At the meeting, representatives from AJM were the journalist Urim Hasipi, coordinator of the regional center in Tetovo, the journalist Zoran Dimovski, the coordinator of the section of videographers from the Polog region, Vedut Osmani, and from the Ministry of the Interior were Toni Angelovski, the Assistant Minister for Public Relations, as well as Marjan Josifoski, Amir Dalipi and Fatmir Redzepi from SVR Tetovo.
This meeting is a continuation and upgrade of the good cooperation between the representatives of AJM and the Ministry of the Interior and the continuation of the meetings that took place during the last year in Skopje and as a result of a previously signed memorandum of cooperation. In the coming period, similar meetings are planned in the other regional centers of AJM in Ohrid, Bitola, Kumanovo, Shtip, and Strumica.