Three daily newspapers in Macedonia - Shpic, Vreme and Koha e Re - have been forced to close down after falling into debt.
But the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) believes they are victims of a government policy to reduce media outlets critical of prime minister Nikola Gruevski.
It points out that since the beginning of the year, critical voices have been silenced through tax-related investigations against media owners.
There has also been selective allocation of government-sponsored advertising, pressure by companies, labour disputes, self-censorship, fear of job losses and other forms of pressure.
SEEMO's secretary general Oliver Vujovic said Gruevski's government should "guarantee press freedom and abstain from indirect pressure on critical media outlets."
Source: International Press Institute
