PERCEPTION OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION OF MEDIA WORKERS IN THE WESTERN REGION OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

Andon Majhosev, Ph.D. Full professor /Goce Delcev University in Stip

Iskra Koroveshovska Assistant with PhD /Goce Delcev University in Stip, Faculty of Law

Jadranka Denkova Full professor /Univerzitet

Jordanka Galeva, Ph.D Assistant professor /Goce Delcev University in Stip, Faculty of Law

Abstract: The right to freedom of expression is one of the fundamental human rights guaranteed by Article 16 of the Constitution in Republic of N. Macedonia and by several international documents as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, International Covenants (on civil and political rights and on economic, social and cultural rights) and other legal acts that have also been ratified in our country. Constitutional Article 16 guarantees freedom of speech, public information, free access to information, reception and transmission of information as well as free establishment of public information institutions. In order to obtain concrete results regarding the implementation of these rights, the paper analyzes the subject of media workers’ perception of freedom of expression, the degree of censorship and self-censorship of media workers and the reasons that affect restriction of the right. The research included media workers from the media in the Western region of the Republic of N. Macedonia. The main guide research question is “What is the perception of media workers about the degree of freedom of expression in the Western planning region of the Republic of Macedonia?”

Keywords: media, freedom of expression, censorship, Republic of N. Macedonia