Section of Sports Journalists with a Reaction to the Chess Federation

The Section of Sports Journalists at the AJM expresses serious concern and has sent a reaction to the Chess Federation of Macedonia, the Ministry of Sports and the Macedonian Olympic Committee, regarding the prevention of journalists from performing their work duties by representatives of the Federation.

We believe that journalists and media teams have the right to attend public events and inform the public about events in chess. We consider the attempts to prevent filming, as well as the indirect threats against journalist Aleksandar Tabakovski from the editorial office of “Derby”, unacceptable and contrary to the principles of transparency and freedom of information.

This incident disrupts the long-standing good cooperation between the media and the Chess Federation of Macedonia, and at the same time represents an attempt to limit access to information of a public nature. We remind you that the Law on Media guarantees the right of the media to report on events of importance to the sports public, without unjustified obstacles.

In this case, AJM offered legal assistance to journalist Tabakovski, if he decides to initiate appropriate proceedings. We demand that such incidents not be repeated and we expect the Chess Federation to ensure a professional attitude towards the media in the future, in accordance with ethical standards and democratic principles of free reporting.