"Reporters Without Borders": Freedom of the press in Albania is threatened by politics, critical journalists are discredited

The organization "Reporters Without Borders" has published the annual World Index on Freedom of the Press. It is noted that throughout the world the freedom of the press is being seriously threatened by political actors.

Specifically in Albania, according to the Index, press freedom and media independence are threatened by conflicts of interest between the business and political worlds, a flawed legal framework and party regulations.

Journalists are victims of acts of intimidation by politicians and organized crime.

The organization "Reporters Without Borders" estimates that the environment for freedom of the press in Albania "is difficult". It has lost three places compared to a year ago, when it was listed 96th, thus marking the biggest drop in the Index in the Western Balkan countries.

The media landscape

The most influential Albanian private sector media is owned by a small number of companies with political connections in highly regulated sectors such as construction. While there are hundreds of online media outlets in the country, only a small number have a sustainable business model with transparent funding. The main media include the public broadcaster RTSH, Top Channel, TV Klan and RTV Ora.

The political context

Journalists face political pressure, especially during elections. Politicians limit editorial independence by politicizing media regulators and appointing those who are in charge of public media, such as the ally of the ruling party who was put in charge of RTSH in 2023, Alfred Peza referred. Critical journalists are often subjected to attacks designed to discredit them from both sides. government and opposition, and they have difficulty obtaining state-held information, access to which may be further restricted by a recent centralization of government communications.

Legal framework

Although the Albanian constitution and international legal commitments guarantee freedom of the press, protection for the confidentiality of sources is insufficient. It was notably ignored by the seizure of investigative journalist Elton Qyno's material in 2023. As a result of a controversial prosecutor's decision, the media was banned from covering the aftermath of a 2022 cyber attack on state institutions.

The economic context

The ownership of most of the Albanian media landscape is concentrated in the hands of only four or five companies. State funding represents a major source of income for the media, but its opaque and discriminatory distribution raises suspicions of influence peddling.

Sociocultural context

Journalists investigating crime and corruption are particularly targets of threats. Women journalists, who make up the majority of the profession, face online harassment and in some cases gender-based discrimination within news organizations, although there has been progress in this area. Self-censorship is widespread, but the media have nevertheless created a platform for ethical self-regulation, the first of its kind in Albania.

Safety

Journalists covering demonstrations and police operations are sometimes victims of police violence. But organized crime represents one of the biggest threats to journalists' safety. Although the police recently took steps to investigate attacks against journalists, impunity for these crimes, combined with political efforts to discredit journalists, has created a climate that is likely to encourage further attacks. In March 2023, Top Channel's headquarters were targeted in an unprecedented attack with automatic weapons that killed one of its security guards.

Pavol Szalai, editor of the "Reporters Without Borders" Report for the EU and the Balkans, says in an interview for Voice of America that compared to European standards, the situation for journalists in Albania is extremely difficult. "Last year, a security employee was killed as a result of shooting at the 'Top Channel' television building. In the assessment for Albania, this is reflected in a lower security indicator. But the other 4 indicators of press freedom have also decreased - the economic environment, the political environment, the legal framework and the indicator of social life", he says.

According to Mr. Szalai, Albania's ongoing problems have deepened over the past year. "The biggest problem is the conflict of interest and the interference of media owners on editorial independence. Another problem is the low level of long-term sustainable development of the media in Albania, which is further complicated by the censorship of online media, in social networks, something common there, and by verbal political attacks against journalists, which are made by both parties, the government and the opposition" , he says.

Regarding the safety of journalists, he points out "the problem of organized crime, as well as online campaigns in certain media, with a lot of hatred and defamation against journalists".

According to him, "this is not something new, but the problems in Albania are still bigger, so it ranks last in the region".