The story, “Rare plant species protected on paper, disappearing in reality,” is part of a cross-border investigative project supported by Journalismfund Europe. In addition to Aleksandar Manasiev, the investigation brings together regional journalists Amina Bijelonja Muminović and Harun Muminović, focusing on environmental accountability and biodiversity loss across borders.
Author: NarativAI
A cross-platform investigative story on the disappearance of rare plant species , published on NarativAI and UMNO.mk , has received a commendation for innovative journalism at this year’s annual awards by the Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia (CMEM)
The story, “Rare plant species protected on paper, disappearing in reality,” is part of a cross-border investigative project supported by Journalismfund Europe. In addition to Aleksandar Manasiev, the investigation brings together regional journalists Amina Bijelonja Muminović and Harun Muminović, focusing on environmental accountability and biodiversity loss across borders.
Through field reporting and data-backed insights, the story exposes the growing gap between formal environmental protection and the reality on the ground, raising critical questions about enforcement, institutional oversight and the effectiveness of existing safeguards.
The awards ceremony took place at Europe House, where seven journalists from across the country were recognized for their work under the theme “Facts and Disinformation on Climate Change.”
The first prize went to Mihajlo Milosheski from “360 Stepeni” for his analysis of energy transition and coal phase-out. This investigation was supported by Thomson Media and Open Society Foundations Western Balkans under the project “Greening the Narratives.” The second prize was awarded to Aleksandar Metodiev and Suzana Miceva for the video investigation “The Illegal Routes of Waste,” while the third prize went to Valentina Vurmo for her reporting on the impact of imported waste.
Additional commendations for exceptional journalistic contributions were awarded to Ivan Kuzmanovski and Fisnik Jeliili for separate stories addressing issues related to environmental reporting and public interest journalism.
The annual SEMM awards are part of the regional project “Building Trust in Media in South East Europe: Support to Journalism as a Public Good,” supported by UNESCO and funded by the European Union.
Speaking at the event, EU representative Steffen Hudolin emphasized that journalists play a crucial role in helping audiences navigate complex topics and distinguish facts from disinformation, thereby strengthening public trust.
UNESCO regional coordinator Joshua Massarenti underlined that climate change reporting today intersects with broader societal challenges, including public health, economic resilience and human rights, while warning of growing risks in the digital information space, amplified by generative AI.
Within this context, the recognition of the NarativAI and UMNO.mk investigation signals a broader shift: cross-border, data-driven and multiplatform journalism is becoming essential in addressing environmental challenges that transcend national boundaries.
(This text was written and reviewed by the editor with support from artificial intelligence tools for language editing and stylistic refinement. More on how NarativAi uses AI — Link)