Desislava Sotirova

This article, originally published in Bulgarian in a 2022 academic collection, and now translated in English, provides a critical analysis of the complex dynamics between television broadcasters and political power in the Western Balkan region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro). The study highlights the alarming trend of "media capture", where state actors and political elites exert systemic pressure on both public and private media to ensure biased coverage and "political tranquility." By examining specific case studies from 2019 to 2022 - including anti-journalistic rhetoric, legal harassment (SLAPPs), and the strategic use of state advertising - the paper documents the erosion of media pluralism. It further explores how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these vulnerabilities, undermining the media's fundamental role as a democratic watchdog.

The article aims to outline the message of the concepts of the European and Euro-Atlantic integration. The text draws attention to the new conditions and criteria for membership of the European Union for the countries of the Western Balkan which they must fulfill in order to join EU. Their recovery and coping with the legacy of the severe wars from the 1990s have not yet come to an end. They first need to pass the stabilization and democratization processes and only after that can be associated. The paper focuses on the European Union’s policy towards the Western Balkans since the launching of the Stabilization and Association Process in 1999 until the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018. Although all the progress during the last two decades in the countries of the Western Balkans they still don’t have enough achievements in some of the most important areas – democracy, rule of law, human rights and minority rights, competitive market. The willingness of the Western Balkans’ governments to join the Union is prominent but the European leaders are not taking yet any commitment to certain promise regarding the European integration of the region. Keywords: European idea, European Union, enlargement of the EU, Euro-Atlantic integration, Euro-Atlantic values, Western Balkans

Media freedom in Western Balkan countries has been restricted for years, and the authority of the journalistic profession has been systematically undermined. Apart from pressure from governments, political and economic circles, the media in the region are also susceptible to foreign influences. The article analyzes the vulnerability of media in Western Balkan countries to third-party influence driven by cash flows. Prerequisites are presented that increase the possibility of direct intervention in editorial policy. Interference that results in biased coverage, the spread of misinformation or the formation of certain attitudes among the audience. Answers are sought to the questions: what are the motives of foreign governments to sponsor media and “causes” in the countries of the Western Balkans, what is the nature of the funding – secret or public?

This article examines the president of the US Donald Trump’s political rhetoric toward the American media, as well as the measures he is taking in the “war on the media” as described by analysts. Trump’s communications strategy against the press sets a dangerous precedent in one of the oldest democracies. It includes rhetoric in which the media is not perceived as a corrective to power, but as a political opponent. The president purposefully uses populist and historically charged terminology to consolidate support for his voters. He makes the attack on the media a central axis of his political rhetoric. During his first term as president (and continuing into his subsequent political career), he exerted and continues to exert institutional pressure, including through the filing of SLAPP lawsuits. Trump systematically and publicly denounces certain media outlets and defines them as “enemies of the people”. Keywords: media, Trump, enemies of the people, S.L.A.P.P., communication strategy

While the concerns about media trust have historical roots, the dynamics have evolved with technological advancements, the rise of digital media, and the challenges posed by disinformation in the 21st century. Deepfake – the media content (text, images, videos) created by AI technology – is just another concern for journalists, politicians and society in the current media trust crisis. It is a tool that can be successfully applied in an information warfare. To be honest, face and voice spoofing has always existed, but deepfake technology may now make fake videos faster, cheaper, with high quality and is accessible to anybody. Although deepfake videos have the potential to undermine trust in journalism, their actual impact on audiences remains limited due to information overload, increased suspicion and skeptical attitude, decreased trust in media and advanced audience adaptability for orientation in the information flow.