From abusive titles to denigrations, how hundreds of portals without addresses are turned into 'weapons'

If we see sensational, bombastic headlines that violate ethics, then this news and this media should be viewed with suspicion.

Unfortunately, this phenomenon is becoming the norm. Here is the place to tell about the breaking of the border of press freedom, turning it into a weapon for dark purposes. Sometimes, simply a battle for clicks or attention. These denigrations constitute today one of the biggest concerns in the development of the new generation of online media.

According to the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority, the institution that administers domains with the suffix ".al", there are currently 31,770 domains registered in our country.

They have a wide range of functions. Among them are the pages of online media portals. This figure does not include portals or domains with the suffix “.com” or “.net”, which indicates that the figure is many times higher. This institution explained that AKEP does not have the number of online portals in full since the entities in the registration phase do not declare the activity for which the domain will be used. So, this is where the problem begins.

'In Albania, despite the reported number of 800 online portals, those that can be considered to function as media, that is, those that have editorial elements, implement a code of ethics, and publish original news, are very few in number,' said Blerjana Bino.

It is very difficult to identify the managers or owners of an online portal that has the suffix “.com” or “.net”. Technology makes it possible for domains to be registered abroad, which makes it impossible for Albanian authorities such as AKEP to have information about it. Under these conditions, this site, although open to inform, can attack, intimidate or publish false news, disinforming the public.

'All the bad things come from this business model, clicks, false headlines, slander, half-hearted or incomplete manipulations... everything arises from the need to produce money for the media business to survive,' said Koloreto Cukali, Chairman of the Albanian Media Council.

The headlines of the portals for various events are bombastic, abusive and in most cases inside the text you will not find the information that the title claims to provide. In this feverish competition, no one is spared. Details of cases of abuse of children, women or other sensitive events cause merciless headlines, hitting the victims for the second time, now publicly.

'I was against the case of how the abuse of a child was reported in a city in Albania and where the media published the name of the mother and the father of the abused girl, paradoxically the name of the minor was not reported, but this was very hypocritical,' said Anila Hoxha, journalist.

'I am against this journalism and the ethics are very clear, but the authorities should intervene in such cases and be more present,' said Anila Hoxha, journalist.

We have seen many cases where a portal attacks a public figure, deals with everything about him. His life, his activity, his family, and spares nothing. There is a path that can be followed to hold accountable those who violate privacy, by filing defamation charges. After Inside Story inquired, AKEP said that regarding complaints about defamation, intimidation, false information, etc., during 2025, only 2 complaints were filed. This figure is negligible, almost non-existent if compared to what happens in the parallel world, the virtual world.

'The most common case is that the money comes from undisclosed sources, comes from rich politicians, comes from crime, comes from the state through all sorts of means, the state is the biggest buyer, if the state is the buyer, the media serves the state, the buyer can be a minister, it can be a mayor, it can be a prime minister, it can be a third person who also works for the government. This is how international media are bought,' said Koloreto Cukali, Chairman of the Albanian Media Council. Top Channel