News Media as a Social Factor for Law Enforcement in the Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

The transition period in the Republic of Macedonia has revealed problematic issues related to the development of democracy. The fight against corruption, consolidation of the rule of law, implementation of the Macedonian-Albanian peace agreement and the need for new constitutional changes remain challenges for the Macedonian society. This paper focuses on the role of the news media in raising awareness for fundamental reforms to build a stable co-existence of ethnic communities in Macedonia. These reforms are considered to pave the path toward European integration process. Alsat-M represents a unique television in the Republic of Macedonia that focuses its reporting mission on broadcasting bilingual information for Albanian and Macedonian audience and it’s taken as a case study in this paper. The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of media in changing social mentality and in undertaking important social changes even in societies that have special peculiarities. A complex theoretical framework is used to analyze the correlations between Alsat-M reporting and the political and administrative reactions and changes in Macedonia. Agenda-setting and Framing theories are implemented in pair with statistical and discourse analysis.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n13p301