AJM files complaint with the Ministry of Interior for malicious online attack on Sloboden Pechat profiles

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) is closely monitoring information about developments related to the Instagram profiles of Sloboden Pechat and the post of November 6, 2025.

According to information from the editorial staff of Sloboden Pechat, under the post of November 6 on their Instagram profile, a large number of atypical comments appeared in a short period of time, including comments from suspicious profiles that are not authentic followers of this media on this social network. At the same time, the editorial staff points out that during that period, a significant drop in the visibility of the post was also observed compared to their usual results, which limited their content to a smaller audience.

AJM fundamentally believes that any attempt to coordinate the use of fake or inauthentic profiles in order to damage the reputation of the media, stifle public debate or influence the algorithmic visibility of journalistic content is unacceptable. Such phenomena, regardless of their scale, contribute to a toxic online environment and make it difficult for editorial offices to work, and the audience can be misled.

In the interest of accurate factography and a clear procedure, AJM lawyers submitted an official report on this case to the cybercrime and digital forensics units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The report, among other things, requests that the origin and nature of the activities be determined and, if there are grounds, cooperation with the company Meta be sought for insight into the relevant technical data.

At the same time, we remind you that platforms such as Meta (Facebook/Instagram) have a responsibility to ensure transparent and consistent rules, especially when it comes to sensitive topics of public interest and media that professionally inform about them.

We encourage all newsrooms that are faced with similar phenomena to first immediately save relevant digital evidence such as: links, screenshots, “scrollshots” with a clearly visible date and time, “screen recordings”, as well as “Instagram Insights (reach/impressions/engagement)” – and to contact the AJM coordination office, so that institutions can act in a timely and efficient manner.

In parallel, AJM will continue to strengthen practical support for journalists and newsrooms in such and similar situations, through clearer guidelines, tools and mechanisms for dealing with digital attacks.

This case once again shows that coordinated, often automated activities and the abuse of algorithms can silently disrupt the visibility of content of public interest. Therefore, it is crucial for newsrooms to recognize such phenomena in a timely manner, systematically preserve digital traces and seek professional and institutional support without delay.