Antoinette Nikolova

You’ve spent the last two decades working as a journalist in Europe, beginning with reporting on the Yugoslav wars and later in Brussels focusing on the European Union. What was it that led you to create the Balkan Free Media Initiative (BFMI)?

Media freedom is being systematically attacked by governments across the Balkans and we need urgent action to protect journalism and democracy in the region. Despite these problems coverage from the Western media is limited. Reporters might cover two days of protests in Bulgaria, for example, but without addressing the issues that are creating the need to