MEMO 98 invites applications for participation in Colorful but Colorblind, a learning-by-doing project for journalists aimed at promoting the creative use of multimedia in reporting minority issues. The project—to be implemented in cooperation with Transitions Online, a Prague-based media development organization, the Center for Independent Journalism in Hungary, the Center... read more

Bratislava (2 April 2009) – MEMO 98 has for a long time focused on presentation of political subjects and their representatives in the media both in Slovakia and abroad. This is the fourth report which analyses presentation of presidential candidates running in the 2009 presidential election. Monitoring of the media was conducted in the framework of the project “Information... read more

Bratislava (2 April 2009) – MEMO 98 has for a long time focused on presentation of political subjects and their representatives in the media both in Slovakia and abroad. This is the fourth report which analyses presentation of presidential candidates running in the 2009 presidential election. Monitoring of the media was conducted in the framework of the project “Information... read more

Bratislava (12 March 2009) – This is a follow up report on the previous long-term monitoring activities focusing on political diversity in media reporting conducted by MEMO 98 in Slovakia and abroad. At the same time, this is already the second report which analyses presentation of candidates in the selected media prior to the April presidential election (the first one was... read more

Bratislava (12 February 2008) – This is a follow up report on the previous long-term monitoring activities focusing on the political diversity in the media reporting, conducted by MEMO 98 in Slovakia and abroad. At the same time, this is already the second report connected to the EUMAP project in the framework of which MEMO 98 has focused on public service broadcasting (its... read more

Bratislava, Budapest, and Prague, 12 and 13 February 2009 – Three years after the release of monitoring reports on the situation of television in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, new update reports are released on 12 and 13 February at events in Bratislava and Prague. The Czech update report highlights that, despite the launch of some digital services, Czech broadcasting still... read more

Bratislava, Budapest and Prague, 12 and 13 February 2009 – Three years after the release of monitoring reports on television in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, new update reports are released on 12 and 13 February at events in Bratislava and Prague. The Slovak update report highlights that notwithstanding some progress, Slovakia's old problems remain intractable. Since... read more

MEMO 98, the Open Society Institute and NOS-OSF Bratislava would like to invite you to the presentation of the monitoring report “Television across Europe: Follow-up reports 2008 – Slovakia and the Czech Republic” prepared by EUMAP (EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program) of the Open Society Institute and by the Media Program of the Open Society Foundation. The project is an... read more

We, a group of like-minded domestic election observers, believe that transparency, accountability and credibility are the most important cornerstones of democratic elections. They provide for establishing public confidence, including confidence of electoral competitors. Our work in terms of scrutiny of, and support to, electoral processes significantly contributes to the... read more

Moscow, 28 February – CJES, the informational and analytical center of the Russian Union of Journalists, in cooperation with MEMO 98, has been systematically monitoring the media coverage of the 2 March presidential election. CJES seeks to evaluate the mass media’s performance in providing objective and balanced coverage of the contestants and their platforms so the citizens... read more

In connection with the legal review of the Slovak Press Act commissioned by the OSCE’s Representative on the Freedom of the Media (http://www.osce.org/fom/item_1_29685.html) and prepared by Article 19 (http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/slovakia-media-bill-pr.pdf), MEMO 98 carried out a background research which included collecting and analyzing of relevant national and... read more

Italy has a tradition of democratic elections and the 9-10 April 2006 general elections was conducted in overall keeping with this tradition. The OSCE/ODIHR Election Assessment Mission (EAM) monitored six national TV channels using a proven methodology of quantitative and qualitative analysis. The mission has sought to evaluate whether the media provide impartial and... read more

MEMO 98, in cooperation with the Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations (CJES), the informational and analytical center of the Russian Union of Journalists, has been systematically monitoring the coverage of the Russian political scene in the selected media. MEMO 98 and CJES seek to evaluate the mass media’s performance in providing an objective portrayal of public... read more

MEMO 98, in cooperation with the Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations, the informational and analytical center of the Russian Union of Journalists, has been systematically monitoring the coverage of the Russian political scene in the selected media. The monitoring seeks to evaluate the mass media’s performance in providing an objective portrayal of public affairs... read more

Filastiniyat, an independent, non-partisan Palestinian NGO has been conducting its 2006 Parliamentary Election Media Monitoring Project to systematically monitor the media coverage of the upcoming legislative council elections. This project is conducted with the material and technical support of the International Media Support (www.i-m-s.dk), an international organization... read more

Bratislava and Budapest, 21 December 2005 - After almost a decade of highly politicised broadcast media, the Slovak television market has seen tremendous improvements in the past several years. Yet, despite these improvements, further reforms of the public service broadcasters are necessary to ensure their political and economic independence. In the commercial sector,... read more

The 6 November parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan did not meet a number of OSCE and Council of Europe standards and commitments for democratic elections The OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) monitored six TV channels (State-funded AzTV and ITV, Private Lider TV, Space, ATV and ANS) and five daily newspapers (State Azerbaijan, Respublika, Khalq, Private Yeni... read more

Globe International (www.globeinter.org.mn), an independent, non-partisan Mongolian NGO dedicated to freedom of expression and the media, systematically monitored the media coverage of the 22 May presidential election. This project was conducted with the material and technical support of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (www.ndi.org) and MEMO 98.... read more

MEMO 98, in cooperation with the Copenhagen based media organization International Media Support (IMS), provided consultancy & trainings to the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (www.ladeleb.org), an independent Lebanese NGO, in connection with the 22 May parliamentary elections. Media monitoring was carried out from 16 May through 17 June 2005 using qualitative... read more

CIHRS, an independent, non-partisan Egyptian NGO dedicated to human rights education and research, has been conducting its 2005 Presidential and Parliamentary Election Media Monitoring Project to systematically monitor the media coverage of the presidential and parliamentary elections. This project is conducted with the material and technical support of the International... read more

"The Gongadze case is solved", stated Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko at the March 1st press conference, "Now I can tell my children who killed Gongadze and how they did it." Georgiy Gongadze, the editor-in-chief of the "Ukrainska Pravda" web site went missing on September 16, 2000. After a late meeting with his deputy, Olena Pritula, he called for a taxi and was never... read more

Media Developments Although coalition parties were claiming that putting the broadcasting sector in order was one of their priorities, elections of new members of the Broadcasting Agency Council (BAC) were not announced until mid-January, which means an entire year after the Government was formed. From the list of 16 candidates, the Parliament of Serbia should have elected... read more

MEMO 98, in cooperation with Adil Soz, has been conducting an independent and non-partisan project to systematically monitor the Kazakh media coverage with a special focus on the 19 September parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan. After the election, MEMO 98 has issued regular reports, including the media monitoring findings which were disseminated to the local media. The... read more

Background In the first three months of 2005 the situation in the media field in Belarus continued to deteriorate. Having closed or otherwise destroyed most independent newspapers, the authorities have introduced almost total control over the media landscape. If in 2004 there were several independent newspapers to choose from in Minsk kiosks, in early 2005 there is only one... read more

Summary of the media situation for the year 2004 By the end of 2004 there were 1,221 registered print media outlets in Belarus. (784 newspapers, 395 magazines, 38 bulletins, 2 catalogues and 2 almanacs) (http://mininform.gov.by/data/main/massmedia/digital/stat). As of December 1, 2004 there were 1,255 media outlets, which means that within one month 22 newspapers, 11... read more

Preliminary monitoring results of the media coverage of the 31 October Presidential Elections in Ukraine  TVs  Newspapers  Regions OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) has been observing the Presidential Election in Ukraine. On September 3, the EOM commenced monitoring of six national TV stations, one Kyiv-based, one Donetsk-based TV channel,... read more

(click on thumbnails for larger images) October 18, 2004, Minsk The protest rally against the results of 17 October Parliamentary elections and Republican Referendum in... read more

August 30 through September 16, 2004 Released on September 21, 2004 MEMO 98, a Slovak based media watchdog, in cooperation with Adil Soz, has conducted an independent and non-partisan project to systematically monitor the media coverage prior the first round of the parliamentary elections scheduled for September 19, 2004. The project's findings are offered not to support... read more

September 20 through October 1, 2004 Released on October 15, 2004 Diagrams (PDF): 31 channel - Egemen Kazakhstan - Express K - Kaz. Pravda - Zhas Alash - TV Kazakhstan - TV Khabar - KTK TV MEMO 98, a Slovak based media watchdog, in cooperation with Adil Soz, has conducted an independent and non-partisan project to systematically monitor the media... read more

Preliminary monitoring results of the media coverage of the upcoming 31 October Presidential Elections in Ukraine OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) has been observing the upcoming Presidential Election which will take place on 31 October 2004. On September 3, the EOM commenced monitoring of six national TV stations, one Kyiv-based, one Donetsk-based TV channel,... read more

THE CANDIDATES AND OTHER POLITICAL SUBJECTS' REPRESENTATION IN THE BELARUSIAN MEDIA PRIOR TO THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION 2004 (September 17 - October 10, 2004) Issued on October 15, 2004 Minsk, Belarus 1. Introduction This Report summarizes the monitoring results from the Belarusian electronic and printed media coverage of the Parliamentary Election 2004 in... read more

(click on thumbnails for larger images) Viktor Yuschenko's Campaign September 18, 2004 Kyiv Yuschenko`s rally The opposition frontrunner in the upcoming presidential election in Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, held a rally in Kyiv, shortly after he returned from Vienna, where he was hospitalized. Speaking to a crowd of people (estimated to... read more

The election campaign is only about to start, however, the pre-election strife is already in full swing. While the main candidates for the campaign were decided a long time ago, and are now trying to increase their ratings, minor candidates are haggling for support... read complete article in... read more

The 4th of July is a significant date for all the candidates, major and minor. It is the date when the pre-election campaign starts, and beginning from that day the candidates can campaign for themselves, register at the CEC, host meetings in support of themselves and advertise on TV... read complete article in... read more

Developments in Media Scene Government's proposal of changes and amendments to the Broadcasting Act, announced on July 6th, was the most significant news related to Serbian media landscape in July. However, public did not undoubtedly welcome the proposed solutions. The most relevant professional associations and organizations, ANEM (Association of Independent Electronic... read more

Developments in Media Scene Transformation of the national broadcaster RTS (Radio-Television of Serbia) from the state owned television into the public service that will function according to the modern European professional and democratic standards is one of the major problems in Serbian media sphere. Judging from the first steps of the new Serbian Government, that long... read more

INTRODUCTION In almost four years since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic's regime no significant progress has been made in putting the order in to Serbian media sphere and solving numerous inherited problems. What remained after Milosevic was media chaos incomparable to any known experiences of modern European societies. A unique paradox is that with almost one thousand... read more

MEDIA MONITORING "2004 Parliamentary Election Coverage in Belarusian Media" PRESENTATION OF THE ELECTION AND ITS POLITICAL SUBJECTS IN BELARUSSIAN MEDIA BEFORE THE 2004 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION (September 6 - September 16, 2004) Bulletin #2 Issued on October 4, 2004 Minsk, Belarus 1. Introduction This report summarizes the data of nearly two weeks' (from... read more

MEDIA MONITORING "2004 Parliamentary Election Coverage in Belarusian Media" PRESENTATION OF POLITICAL SUBJECTS IN BELARUSSIAN MEDIA PRIOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 2004 (August 16 - September 6, 2004) Issued on September 20, 2004 1. Introduction This report summarizes the three-week data (from August 16 to September 6, 2004) of monitoring Belarusian electronic and... read more

In July, the length of Alexander Lukashenka's presidential term reached 10 years. On July 10, 1994, in the 2nd round of voting, Lukashenka was elected president out of six candidates. Back then 56 percent of all eligible voters (80 percent of the voters who took part in the elections) voted for him. According to the results of the June 2004 poll conducted by the Independent... read more

Background On June 3rd three deputies of the opposition parliamentarian group "Respublika" declared a hunger strike and demanded changes to the electoral code. MPs Valery Fralou, Uladzimir Parfyanovich and Syargey Skryabets believe that the changes should be made in the formation of electoral commissions which, in their opinion, should be "open and clear for each citizen,... read more

BACKGROUND The April 2004 poll conducted by the sociological laboratory Novak showed that 47,8% of Belarusians are against the intention of Alexander Lukashenka to run for the third term. If people were asked at the referendum if they support removing the restriction for the same person to occupy the presidential post for more than two terms, 54,4% of Belarusians would vote... read more

Background The events in April have allowed observers to draw the conclusion that power structures have been tightening the mechanisms of control on the eve of the parliamentary elections in Belarus. Within one month several outstanding politicians have been detained and placed under arrest, including Valery Levaneusky, the Chairman of the National Strike Committee of... read more

Developments on the Media Scene Following the new escalation of violence in Kosovo (starting on March 18, 2004) Serbia entered a new phase of political radicalization with a strong nationalistic tone. Media outlets hugely contributed to such a development. Very few media outlets resisted the temptation to participate in the new wave of nationalistic euphoria, generally... read more

Developments on the Media Scene The seasons of highly valued transfers of professionals from one media company to another, announced in the January Report, blossomed in February. Actually, in the public, these migrations of renowned journalists and editors have been accompanied by rumors and speculation about the spectacular sums of money, and so they turned out to be the... read more

[click thumbnail for full-size image] Parliamentary Deputies arguing outside the polling station n. 8 after observers were thrown out. Time - around 10:30am. Crowd gathered at the polling station n. 3 after it was stormed by "bratky" allegedly to steal the ballots - Time - roughly 12:30am. Observer reminding representatives of the commission of his legal right to be... read more

During the last several months a number of significant independent radio stations have encountered broadcasting problems or were even removed from the air. The state representatives attributed each case to internal problems or legal violations by the media outlets in question. While less than 9 months remain before the elections, the number of independent media outlets facing... read more

Background March 11: President Lukashenka signed the decree entitled, "On measures of strengthening public safety and discipline" (http://www.president.gov.by/rus/president/Office_Docum/directs2004/). Such document was adopted in Belarus for the first time (last time it was adopted was in the Soviet Union during the second world war). In the decree the President instructs the... read more

BACKGROUND February 2004 in Belarus was marked by the peak of the "gas row" between Belarus and Russia. (See chronicles of the "gas row" in Attachment 1) February also saw a number of arrests of Alexander Lukashenka's former close assistants. February 10th: following his meeting with KGB and State Security Committee bosses, Lukashenka ordered the dismissal of Halina... read more

KYIV - On March 3 Radio Kontynent, 100.9 FM, which re-broadcast programming of BBC, VOA, Deutche Welle, Radio Polonia, and had taken on the re-broadcasting of Radio Liberty on February 28, was shut down when Ukrchastotanahliad, Ukraine's State Agency for Radio Frequencies issued an order to close down the station. Radio Kontynent's director Serhii Sholokh had told The... read more

Media Developments In the first post-election month, the media has been loaded with speculations about the options for the formation of the new government and information about the complicated negotiating process among the parties represented in the new parliament. Parliamentary elections (held on 28 December) became old news when the Council of the Broadcasting Agency... read more

Released March 25, 2004  Diagrams At the time of the report, there are eleven candidates running for the presidential election scheduled for April of 2004. The present report evolves previous reports focused on candidates and reflects their media presentation for the time period prior to the beginning of the official election campaign in the electronic media... read more

GENERAL SITUATION In the beginning of January Belarus' Minister of Justice Victor Golovanov reported on the work of the ministry for last year. In particular, he noted, that last year the control over the activities of NGO's, political parties and trade unions was strengthened. According to the official information from the Ministry of Justice, in 2003 alone 810 written... read more

Media monitoring results of the Russian media outlets conducted prior to the 14 march presidential elections OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) observed the Russian Presidential Election on March 14, 2004. The EOM monitored five television stations and ten daily and weekly newspapers, using a proven methodology of qualitative and quantitative analysis. The EOM... read more

Published March 12, 2004  Diagrams Twelve candidates were registered to contest the upcoming presidential election. This report evaluates the media presentation of presidential candidates in the Slovak electronic media. MEMO 98 monitored the following electronic media: STV, TV Markiza, TA3, TV Joj, Slovensky rozhlas (The Slovak... read more

Preliminary monitoring results of the media coverage of the upcoming 14 March Presidential Elections in Russian Federation OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) has been observing the upcoming Presidential Election which will take place on 14 March 2004. On February 6, the EOM commenced monitoring of five national TV stations and ten daily and weekly newspapers. In... read more

Two weeks ago, Radio Liberty was unexpectedly informed that its Ukrainian Service programming would be removed from its major radio rebroadcaster's FM schedule (Radio Dovira), beginning February 17. Radio Dovira requested format changes, a move widely believed to keep Radio Liberty off the air prior to the upcoming presidential polls. In a press release issued shortly after,... read more

A new democratic candidate is going to take part in the upcoming elections: The state is creating an alternative to Ushenko. The most significant opposition newspaper is to be closed by the decision of the court as a result of anti-Semitism. Was the court guided by the legislation, or by a phone-call from the President's Office? The journalists of two media outlets were... read more

Interview with Oleg Tselujko, the media-lawyer of Kharkiv's remedial group and the author of a number of Ukrainian media laws. (Second part) During our last conversation we touched on the topic of Lvivska Gazeta. About two months ago Lviv's court refused to satisfy the claim of Lvivska Gazeta against Sergey Medvedchuk the head of the Lviv oblast tax agency. Despite the... read more

Media Scene Unlike the November 16th presidential elections, which seemed to be rather unattractive to the media, the parliamentary elections were the most covered issue for several weeks. RTS, as the state owned broadcasters, had its legally defined obligations and so, it was totally up to the commercial broadcasters to make decisions on the extent of the coverage of... read more

December 2003 POLITICAL BACKGROUND Echo of Russian Elections Independent Belarusian political scientists have called the results of the Russian elections a "cold shower" for those who sympathize with Russian liberal movements. At the same time analysts believe that such results were predictable. The majority agrees that the results should be a warning for politicians... read more

Published 23 January 2004  Diagrams This report was published before the completing of the candidates registration for the post of President of the Slovak Republic and reflects media presentation of the people who declared their decision to appear as candidates in the presidential election as well as those who have been presented by media as potential candidates.... read more

Released on February 20 2004  Diagrams Twelve candidates were registered to contest the upcoming presidential election on 3 April. This report evaluates the media presentation of presidential candidates prior to their registration by the CEC. MEMO 98 monitored the following broadcast media: STV, TV Markiza, TA3, TV Joj, The Slovak Radio, Radio Twist, Radio... read more

Anti-Ushenko campaign in Eastern Ukraine. Who is behind it? Parliamentary reform and the decision of the Constitutional Court. Will Kuchma run for the third term? A journalist found dead in Melitopol. Assassination or an accident?  Read whole... read more

Oleg Tselujko, media-lawyer for Kharkiv's remedial group I know that you mainly deal with the regional media and are quite familiar with the events on the regional level. Is it true, that the threat to freedom of speech is worse in the regions than in Kiev? It's hard to comment on all the regions in general. Regions differ from each other and from what I see in the... read more

1. Mr. Kupres, you work for the private broadcaster B 92. Give us a brief overview of the background of the station? In the late 80s, Radio B92 was founded by a group of young enthusiasts as a small station aimed at the young urban population of Belgrade. From its beginnings, it defined itself as a free news program, independent from the control of the centers of political... read more

MEMO 98 expert analyzed the media coverage of the 2003 Presidential Elections in Armenia in the framework of OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission. Following is the final media report.  Diagrams - Newspapers  Diagrams - TVs Background to the Media in Armenia Television is the main source of news in Armenia. The Armenian public TV is among few broadcasters... read more

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Issued December 18, 2003  Diagrams  Tables This report contains results of presentation of political parties, Government, and President in the nation-wide electronic media, including STV (publicly funded Slovak television) TV Markíza, TA3, TV Joj, Slovak Radio (publicly funded), Radio Twist, Radio Expres and Radio Okey in the period of three months (from... read more

Media Developments Election campaigning crucially marked the Serbian media scene in November. The presidential election was held on November 16th and on November 13th, the last day before the beginning of the moratorium, Natasa Micic, the acting President of Serbia and Speaker of Parliament called for early parliamentary elections for December 28th. This means that another... read more

General Situation Belarusian human rights activists believe that Belarus has no chance of carrying out fair and transparent parliamentary elections that should take place in autumn 2004. Nearly two dozen NGO’s (including human rights organizations) have been closed down in the last two months. In November, efforts to appeal court decisions on closing NGO’s as well as... read more

[click thumbnail for full-size image] Police attacks opposition supporters in front of the Musavat Party Headquarters (Baku, 15 October) Police cars gathered in front of the Musavat Party Headquarters (Baku, 15 October)... read more

 Diagrams -- Private Papers  Diagrams -- Private TVs  Diagrams -- State Papers  Diagrams -- State TV Background to the Media in Azerbaijan Television is by far the most important source of news for most Azerbaijanis. Azeri State TV has a nationwide outreach and belongs to the most influential media outlets in the country. It has not yet been... read more

Media monitoring results of the Russian media outlets conducted prior to the elections to the State Duma on 7 December OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) observed the Elections to the State Duma which took place on 7 December 2003. The EOM conducted the monitoring of five national TV stations and 7 newspapers. In addition, the mission analyzed the main newscasts... read more

Interim media monitoring results of the Russian media outlets conducted prior to the elections to the State Duma on 7 December OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) has been observing the upcoming Elections to the State Duma which will take place on 7 December 2003. On 5 November, the EOM commenced the monitoring of five national TV stations and six daily... read more

Media Developments On the occasion of the third anniversary of the breakdown of the Milosevic regime (5 October 2000), which was notorious for its repression of the media and journalists, changes that have been taking place within the media have also been subject to an overall evaluation. According to the representatives of professional organizations, the general impression... read more

General Situation Independent experts believe that Russia will try to smooth over the conflict between officials of Minsk and Moscow on the eve of the parliamentary elections in Russia on 7 December. To ensure support of the “red belt” (Russians traditionally voting for communists and cherishing warm feelings for Lukashenka), the Russian politicians will again use the idea of... read more

Dear friends and colleagues! In the framework of MEMO 98 Regional Media Monitoring Project, we have been working closely with our partners in Serbia, Belarus and Ukraine to follow all the recent media related developments in the three countries with special focus on the impediments on freedom of press; intimidation and coercion against the media; media legislation and... read more

Media development Another government structure that could be used to put pressure on the media is going to be created in the Ukraine. It is not a big secret that during the pre election campaign the media organizations that fail to show clear support for certain candidates, encounter problems with government bodies. Those bodies take advantage of the vague wordings of... read more

Media developments The last two weeks were quite active for the National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting. The Members of Parliament returned from their vacation, and only one year remains before the next presidential elections. Foreseeing this, or possibly due to other reasons, the president appointed Viktor Leshik and Mykola Fartushnij to replace Oleksander... read more

Media Developments The Broadcasting Council (the Serbian Broadcasting Agency Council) continues to be the most intriguing and most disputable issue in the Serbian media sphere. For more then half a year there has been confusion and doubt among the general public regarding this regulatory body. Does it exist at all or is it still in the process of being established after... read more

BELARUS May In May 2003, the State pressure, intimidation and harassment of the independent press have continued in Belarus. After receiving several warnings, the publication of a number of independent newspapers including Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta (BDG) was suspended. Within three days - from May 20 - 22 - the Ministry of Information issued five warnings to... read more

BELARUS General Situation Independent experts believe that the unprecedented pressure recently produced by the authorities on NGOs and the independent mass media is caused by of Alexander Lukashenka's preparations for a referendum aimed at prolonging his term in office and unifying Belarus and Russia's monetary systems. It is expected to be held between September and... read more

BELARUS - Media assessment mission (11 - 16 April 2003) Overview Freedom House's Annual Survey of Press Freedom 2002 ranked Belarus as a country with classification not free. This characteristic is a result of Lukashenko's authoritarian regime and harsh pressure against the free media. Organization Reporters without Borders included Lukashenko into a group of the world's... read more

Political overview September 2003 in Belarus was characterized by a rapid deterioration of relations with Moscow, a continued crackdown on the third sector and efforts to introduce ideology for the population. In the beginning of September during his trip to the Brest area, Lukashenka sharply criticized the Russian authorities, saying that "the new authorities in Russia do... read more

Senzor is a media watchdog NGO founded to improve the quality of the Serbian media reporting using media monitoring as an effective tool to raise public awareness and encourage journalist to observe the standards of journalistic ethics. By conducting permanent, systematic and extensive media monitoring projects, Senzor anticipates to advocate for positive changes in the media... read more

Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) is a non-governmental non-profit organization set up in 1995. It unites about 1000 members representing over 170 both private and state-sponsored media from across Belarus. It operates out of a central office in the capital Minsk through a network of regional affiliates in regional centers and important urban towns. BAJ is a member... read more

Interview with Rastislav Kuzel, Executive Director of MEMO 98 in Bratislava, Slovakia, and a participant in the World Movement for Democracy (published on World Movement for Democracy) Q. Please tell us when and how your organization was established, and what its mission is. MEMO 98 was launched with support from the US-based National Democratic Institute for... read more

 Charts and Diagrams The present report provides an analysis of the coverage of the Slovak government, political subjects, and President in the nation-wide electronic media - Slovak Television, TV Markíza, TA3, TV Joj, Slovak Radio, Radio Twist in the past four months (24.01. 2003 - 23.05.2003), as well as on Radio Okey and Radio Expres in the period of two months... read more

In the framework of the National Endowment for Democracy and Freedom House sponsored Regional Media Monitoring Project, MEMO 98 and Senzor released the first media report assessing the current developments in Serbia.  Complete... read more

Europe's domestic observer groups develop common approach to election monitoring, urge full access to entire electoral process ZAGREB, 1 July 2003 - Domestic observer groups from across Europe have developed a common approach to monitoring elections and called on states to ensure full access of observers to all stages of the electoral process. At the first European... read more

In the framework of the National Endowment for Democracy and Freedom House sponsored Regional Media Monitoring Project1, Rasto Kuzel, MEMO 98 executive director, undertook an evaluation mission to Ukraine to assess the latest developments in the field of freedom of expression and information and to identify partners and a project coordinator for MEMO 98 Regional Media... read more

In the framework of the National Endowment for Democracy and Freedom House sponsored Regional Media Monitoring Project, representative of the MEMO 98 undertook an evaluation mission to Belarus to assess the latest developments in the field of freedom of expression and information for MEMO 98 Regional Media Monitoring Project.  Complete... read more

This report contains analysis of portrayal of the Slovak Government in the nationwide broadcast media – STV, TV Markíza, TA3, TV JOJ, Slovak Radio and Radio Twist. The monitoring period summarizes the initial 100 days of the Government beginning with the day – October 16 – when it was appointed by the President. The monitoring focused on the primetime news of the above... read more

The report sought to evaluate how the Slovak nationwide media - STV, TV Markiza, TA3, TV JOJ, Slovak Radio and Radio Twist - covered “Integration of the Slovak Republic into EU and NATO” in the period between December 11 2002 and January 20 2003. The monitoring focused on prime time news of the above media outlets (in both radio stations it was 2 newscasts – at 1200 and 6... read more

The MET sought to evaluate whether the media provided objective and balanced coverage of the issues connected with referendum for voters to make qualified and well-informed choice. The monitoring was carried out from the 19 March through 19 of April 2000 using qualitative and quantitative method of analysis. Quantitative analysis measured the total amount of space and time... read more

MEMO` 98 expert worked as media analyst for the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission deployed to observe the 2002 Parliamentary Election in Ukraine. Following is the final media report.  Complete... read more

STATUTES OF THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEMO '98 In the wording of Amendment No. 1 from 15 September 1999 and Amendment No. 2 from 16 February 2000.  Complete... read more

This report presents the results of the Media Works & MEMO98` joint project, supported by National Endowment for Democracy. The results of the media-monitoring project represent a systematic analysis of prime-time news on TV and radio stations as well as the contents of selected print media outlets. Certain local media were also included into this analysis to provide better... read more

Released on September 20, 2000 Media Works has conducted an independent and non-partisan project to systematically monitor the media coverage of the presidential and parliamentary elections in FRY scheduled for September 24, 2000. The project’s findings are offered not to support any one candidate or political party. By following a well-defined and rigorous methodology,... read more

This report presents the results of the Media Works & MEMO98` joint project, supported by NED. The results of the media-monitoring project represent a systematic analysis of prime-time news on TV and radio stations as well as the contents of selected print media outlets. Certain local media were also included into this analysis to provide better insight into the complete media... read more

Download the Monitoring forms (Microsoft Word 2000, 96 kB) Most voters gain general information on participants in political campaigns through the media. To have a free and fair election process, it is very important that the media adopt a fair and objective towards all political parties and candidates. Monitoring tries to quantify and qualify time dedicated to... read more

MEMO` 98 expert analyzed the media coverage of the 2000 Presidential Elections in Kyrgyzstan in the framework of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission. Following is the final media report. MEDIA REPORT Structure of Electronic and Print Media More than 20 electronic and around 415 print media companies are registered in Kyrgyzstan. Due to poor economic... read more

IMPORTANCE OF MEDIA MONITORING The role of mass media in providing access for political contestants to communicate their messages and in presenting news about political parties, political leaders and matters of political importance is vital to the integrity of the electoral process as the most voters nowadays gain essential information about politics through mass media.... read more

MEMO 98 expert analyzed the media coverage of the 2000 - 2001 General Elections in Guyana, South America in the framework of UN/EU Long Term Observation Mission. Following is the final media report.  Complete... read more

MEMO 98 expert analyzed media coverage of 2002 Presidential Election in Serbia in the framework of OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission. Following is the final media report.  Complete... read more

Our activities have been supported by: British Embassywww.ukinslovakia.fco.gov.uk Freedom Housewww.freedomhouse.org German Marshall Fundwww.gmfus.org IREXwww.irex.org International Forum of Election Systems (IFES)www.ifes.org International Media Support (IMS)www.i-m-s.dk Internewswww.internews.org Jefferson Institute www.jeffersoninst.org ProMedia SlovakiaLeft... read more

A. Supervisory Bodies and Complaints The Council of Czech Republic for Radio and Television Broadcasting is state body established to license, regulate and oversee private radio and television broadcasters. It consists of 13 members appointed and removed by the Prime minister based on the proposal made by the Parliament, appointment shall be carried out immediately after... read more

Rastislav Kužel - Executive director Marek Mračka - Project coordinator Ivan Godársky - Law assistance Juraj Olejník - WWW pages, technical support General information MEMO 98 Martinengova 8, 81102 SK-811 02 BRATISLAVA Slovensko / Slovakia tel./fax.: +421 (2) 6280 1199... read more

MEMO` 98 expert worked as media analyst for the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission deployed to observe the 2003 Presidential Election in Armenia. Following is the final media report. FINAL MEDIA REPORT Background to the Media in Armenia Television is the main source of news in Armenia. The Armenian public TV is among few broadcasters to have a nationwide outreach and... read more

Television Slovak TV market works on a dual principle which, on the one hand, introduces a public service TV funded from public sources (broadcast license fees and advertising) and on the other one provides for the existence of a number of commercial stations limited by technical possibilities (frequency bands) and market demand. Publicly funded television... read more

Diagrams and tables (58 kB, ,) September 17, 2002 The following is a fifth report in which MEMO 98, in cooperation with an independent advisory council, observed the criteria embodied in the The Preelection Media Code of Conduct. The report summarises and gives an overall picture of the official election campaign, namely between August 21 and September 15, 2002.... read more

The following is a fourth report in which MEMO 98, in cooperation with an independent advisory council, observed and pursued the criteria embodied in the The Election Media Code of Conduct. At the same time, the report represents the first summary of the official election campaign - the monitoring covers its first two weeks, namely between August 21 and September 3, 2002. The... read more

September 6, 2002 This is the third in the series of reports reflecting pre-election period in the media, in which, in cooperation with an independent advisory council, MEMO 98 pursued the criteria summed in the Code of Media Conduct in election period. All of the media that endorsed and supported the above document thus understood the chief goal of the project´s... read more

Diagrams: STV TV Markíza TA3 JOJ Slovenský rozhlas Rádio Twist Rádio Expres Rádio Okey 4. September 2002 The following is a second report in which MEMO 98, in cooperation with an independent advisory council, observed and pursued the criteria embodied in the The Election Media Code of Conduct. At the same time, the report represents the last theree weeks... read more

The first report of the Panel and MEMO covered the period of the first two weeks of the official election campaign and pursued the criteria summed in the Code of Media Conduct in Election Period. All of the media that endorsed and supported the above document thus understood the chief goal of the project´s author´s - a call for dialogue on journalist ethics and... read more

There is no doubt that the media is the main source of information about the public, especially the political, sphere, and that seems to be one of the reasons why it is sometimes referred to as the fourth estate. The role of the media – observing the current media legislation – is to provide the general public with an unbiased, objective and fair portrayal of public affairs.... read more

Presentation of the political party ANO in the main news broadcasts in TV Markíza and Slovak TV. (April 22 – September 21, 2001) Diagrams: STV TV Markíza Released on 28th of September 2001 The report presents the monitoring results of the media coverage of ANO in the main newscasts on TV Markíza and the Slovak TV in the period from April 22 to September 21,... read more

PRELIMINARY REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF BELARUS POLITICS July 23, 2001, through August 23, 2001 Released on August 27, 2001 Diagrams:  Microsoft Excel 97, zipped (67 kB) MEMO 98, in cooperation with NOVAK Laboratory and IREX, has conducted an independent and non-partisan project to systematically monitor the media coverage of the presidential... read more

PRELIMINARY REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF BELARUS POLITICS July 23, 2001, through August 13, 2001 Released on August 20, 2001 Diagrams:  Microsoft Excel 97, zipped (97 kB) NOVAK Laboratory, in cooperation with IREX, has conducted an independent and non-partisan project to systematically monitor the media coverage of the presidential elections in... read more

Released April 13. 2001 Diagrams: Microsoft Excel 97 (359 kB)  Microsoft Excel 97, zipped (293 kB) This report contains results of monitoring prime time news programs broadcast by STV, TV Markiza, and TV Luna. Our monitoring covers the period from August 1 2000 until February 2001. Results of this monitoring constitute a survey of facts found over the... read more

Grafy - Diagrams (Microsoft Excel 97/2000) Grafy - Diagrams (Microsoft Excel 97/2000, zipped) Bratislava, October 9, 2000. MEMO 98, in cooperation with MediaWorks, has been running an independent and non-partisan project of continuous monitoring the media presentation of information on political parties and other politically relevant subjects. This report... read more

function displayGraphs(frm) { var prefix="Ko1" var typ="" var med="" var typMed="" if (frm.Medium.options[frm.Medium.selectedIndex].text=="All media") {med="TTL"; typ="all"; typMed="Reports"} if (frm.Medium.options[frm.Medium.selectedIndex].text=="STV") {med="STV"; typ="all"; typMed="TV"} if (frm.Medium.options[frm.Medium.selectedIndex].text=="TV Markíza")... read more

Presentation of presidential candidates in the broadcast media in the period prior to the first and second round of elections Released: June 4. 1999 General observations In the period prior to the first round of elections, more air-time was offered to candidates with better chances to succeed in the elections. They were R. Schuster, V. Meciar, J. Slota, M. Vasaryova... read more

The summary of monitoring broadcast and print media in the period prior to the presidential election in the Slovak Republic. Released on 11 May 1999 Since February, 1999 MEMO 98 has continued to monitor selected broadcast and print media focusing on the information on the presidential candidates and the manner in which they were portrayed by the media. MEMO 98 has been... read more

Presentation of candidates for the president of the Slovak Republic in April Released on 11 May 1999 Through February MEMO 98 has been monitoring selected broadcast and print media focusing on information on presidential candidates and the manner in which the candidates were presented by the media. Our monitoring has included main news on STV, TV Markiza, VTV, Sro,... read more

Report on presentation of presidential candidates in selected broadcast media Released on April 23, 1999 In March MEMO 98 monitored selected broadcast media and will continue in its monitoring through the presidential election. This media monitoring is focused on information concerning presidential candidates and the manner in which they are portrayed by the media.... read more

Presentation of current presidential candidates in the print media Released: 16. April 1999 In March MEMO 98 monitored selected print media and will continue to monitor them until the presidential election. Monitoring of these media is focused on information on presidential candidates and on the manner in which the candidates are presented in the media. Results of... read more

REPORT ON THE PRESENTATION OF SLOVAK POLITICS IN MEDIA Report No 11: February 1. – 28. 1999 Released: April 2 1999. Report No.11 contains results of monitoring of nationwide broadcast media in February 1999. HIGHLIGHTS All the monitored media dedicated considerable time to the coverage of stripping Mr. Krajci and Mr. Lexa of immunity. In connection with these... read more

Poradie politikov podľa priestoru, ktorý získali v jednotlivých médiách počas februára 1999 Politicians according to time offered to them in selected media during February 1999 STV   M. Dzurinda 0:09:19 J. Migaš 0:06:55

PRESENTATION OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN SELECTED BROADCAST MEDIA Released: March 26. 1999 In February, MEMO 98 monitored broadcast media focused on tracking information on presidential candidates and the manner in which the candidates were presented. The results of monitoring will be regularly communicated to the public in the form of reports or press conferences.... read more

Presentation of the current presidential candidates in the print media. Released: March 17 1999 MEMO 98 is an independent non-partisan effort that has monitored Slovak nationwide broadcast media. MEMO 98 is involved in a number of other projects related to citizen's rights of receiving balanced and unbiased information. These projects allow MEMO 98 to play an... read more

REPORT ON PRESENTATION OF THE SLOVAK POLITICS IN MEDIA Report No. 10: December 1 – January 31 1999 Released: March 12. 1999 MEMO 98 is an independent non-partisan effort monitoring nationwide broadcast media . MEMO 98 works on other projects related to citizens rights to gain balanced and fair information. Realizing these projects MEMO 98 seeks to play an active role... read more

Poradie politikov podľa priestoru, ktorý získali v jednotlivých médiách počas decembra 1998 a januára 1999 Politicians sorted by time offered in selected medias during December 1998 and January 1999

The Most Popular Politicians in the Media Released: February 12 1999 MEMO 98 is an independent, non-partisan effort that has monitored major nation-wide broadcast media for over six months. MEMO 98 is involved in other projects connected with the rights of Slovak citizens to gain balanced and accurate information. By its participation in these projects MEMO 98 seeks to... read more

REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF SLOVAK POLITICS Report no. 9: November 1 - 30 1998 Released: December 21 1998 MEMO‘98 is an independent non-partisan effort that has monitored Slovak nationwide broadcast media for over five months. MEMO‘98 is involved in a number of other projects related to citizen's rights of receiving balanced and unbiased information. These projects... read more

REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF SLOVAK POLITCS Number Eight: For the period ending 8 November 1998 Released on 27 November 1998 MEMO 98 was formed as an independent, nonpartisan effort in April-May 1998 in order to monitor systematically media presentation of elections for the National Council of the Slovak Republic. From July through September 1998, MEMO 98 monitored... read more

REPORT ON MONITORING SELECTED TV STATIONS IN CONNECTION WITH MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS Released on 10 December MEMO 98 is an independent non-partisan effort which has been monitoring nationwide broadcast media for five months. In connection with municipal elections MEMO 98 decided to expand its monitoring effort to monitoring selected regional and local TV stations: TV... read more

REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF SLOVAK POLITICS Number Seven: for period ending October 11, 1998 Released on October 15, 1998 MEMO’98 is an independent and non-partisan effort -- formed by the Helsinki Citizens Assembly and the Association for Support of Local Democracy -- to systematically monitor the media coverage of the Slovak parliamentary elections and events... read more

REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF SLOVAK POLITICS Number Six: for period ending September 18, 1998 Released on September 22, 1998 MEMO’98 is an independent and non-partisan effort -- formed by the Helsinki Citizens Assembly and the Association for Support of Local Democracy -- to systematically monitor the media coverage of the Slovak parliamentary elections scheduled for... read more

REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF SLOVAK POLITICS Number Five: for period ending September 6, 1998 Released on September 10, 1998 MEMO’98 is an independent and non-partisan effort -- formed by the Helsinki Citizens Assembly and the Association for Support of Local Democracy -- to systematically monitor the media coverage of the Slovak parliamentary elections scheduled for... read more

REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF SLOVAK POLITICS Number Four: for period August 10, 1998 through August 23, 1998 Released on August 27, 1998 MEMO’98 is an independent and non-partisan effort -- formed by the Helsinki Citizens Assembly and the Association for Support of Local Democracy -- to systematically monitor the media coverage of the Slovak parliamentary... read more

REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF SLOVAK POLITICS Number Three: Four week report for period July 13, 1998 through August 9, 1998 Released on August 13, 1998 MEMO’98 is an independent and non-partisan effort -- formed by the Helsinki Citizens Assembly and the Association for Support of Local Democracy -- to systematically monitor the media coverage of the Slovak... read more

REPORT ON MEDIA COVERAGE OF SLOVAK POLITICS Week Two: July 20, 1998 through July 26, 1998 Released on July 30, 1998 MEMO’98 is an independent and non-partisan effort -- formed by the Helsinki Citizens Assembly and the Association for Support of Local Democracy -- to systematically monitor the media coverage of the Slovak parliamentary elections scheduled for... read more

The primary objective of our monitoring is to evaluate the range of political diversity in the mass media. Our monitoring methodology has been developed over time and is based on our concrete experiences, practices and lessons learned. In general, our monitoring could be divided into two main categories: election and non-election. Election-related media monitoring is an... read more

Executive Director:Rastislav Kužel (since 1998)  kuzel@memo98.sk Executive Board:Rastislav Kužel (since 1998)  Ivan Godársky (since 1999)  Marek Mračka (since 1998)  Juraj Olejník (since 2005) Former members:Anna Nogová (1998-1999)  Dominik Bartosiewicz (1998-2002)  Martin Križan (2002-2005) Experts:  Law & Media Expert:Ivan Godársky  ivang@memo98.sk... read more

MEMO 98 is an internationally-recognized, independent and non-profit specialist media institution, with 11 year-long experience of conducting media monitoring and research and assisting civil society groups. Using tested and approved methodologies and tools; we provide quality services with tangible results. We are probably best known for our media analysis and monitoring... read more

We undertake a comprehensive and detailed research and analysis of media environment, both internationally and locally. We provide consultancy, on: - freedom of the media; - media diversity; - state media policy; - political interference; - media professionalism & ethical standards; - media education; - public service broadcasting; - commercial broadcasting;... read more

Our activities have been supported by: British Embassywww.ukinslovakia.fco.gov.uk Freedom Housewww.freedomhouse.org German Marshall Fundwww.gmfus.org IREXwww.irex.org International Forum of Election Systems (IFES)www.ifes.org International Media Support (IMS)www.i-m-s.dk Internewswww.internews.org Jefferson Institute www.jeffersoninst.org ProMedia SlovakiaLeft... read more

Rasťo Kužel – Rasťo graduated from the Philosophical Faculty of Bratislava’s Comenius University and spent almost a year at the State University of New York, Oswego. He was recruited by NDI as Project Coordinator of election and media-related programs for the 1998 Slovak parliamentary elections. Rasťo is MEMO 98’s co-founder and its executive director since 1998. He has worked... read more

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In English In Slovak English (26x) 2009 (6x) 30.11.2009 (Slovak Spectator) www.spectator.sk/articles/view/37236/2/fico_replies_to_sme.html 2.11.2009 (Slovak Spectator) www.spectator.sk/articles/view/36970/2/state_signs_contract_with_stv_ 20.7.2009 (Slovak Spectator) www.spectator.sk/articles/view/35980/2/relations_worsen_between_media_and_state.html... read more