Berisha attacks the Mafia-linked media, polls show media on top of corruption fight

TIRANA, March 28 – Prime Minister Sali Berisha on Wednesday made an open but not clear attack on the media accusing it of being linked with Mafia trying to avoid the rule of law. The accusation came the same day that a nongovernmental organization issued a poll which showed that the media outlets were on top of the fight against corruption in the country.
Berisha on Wednesday was very harsh in his speech at the government meeting against the media outlets exploited by certain construction, transport and telecommunication businessmen to hide their illegal activities. He harshly attacked informality at these sectors and linked it to the use of the media outlets to cover them. As expected the attack immediately sparked negative reactions not only from the media outlets themselves, that felt offended as it was a general attack which could involve all of them, but also from the opposition whose parliamentarians considered it another attempt from the government and Berisha to put all the other independent institutions under their control. “Mafia has created its own chopping knives but the law should be stronger,” said Berisha. He said the chopping knives were media outlets used as “loudspeakers for disinformation, to demonize such processes, to demonize individuals.” Pandeli Majko of the opposition Socialists strongly attacked such statements saying that the government should present clear names and take them to the law.