By Alba ȥla
Speaking to a group of Albanian journalists gathered at a training hall of the Albanian Media Institute, Xavier Vidal-Folch, Deputy Editor in Chief of “El Pais”, the leading daily in Spain was at ease. His knowledge and expertise originated from a hands-on 6 years long engagement in Brussels for European Union related coverage and constant devotion tom political and economic information in his 30 years long career in journalism. His informal yet thoughtful style was eloquent enough to let us know that the content did not aim any audience, but his colleagues, the people roaming newsrooms in the eternal journalistic quest for the simple truth. In a global world where physical boundaries shift and merge, the importance of media is ever growing. And in the face of the enormous power stands, according to Vidal, a greater responsibility: to be cautious and independent.
El Pais
The leading national newspaper in Spain, widely read and with different editions for the diverse ethnic cantons in the country can rightly boast about its success. It was founded n 1976, after the death of Dictator Franco. Back then it was the symbol of new independent press and that remains the key to this popularity, according to Mr. Vidal, its financial and political independence. The newspaper also has a very good record of collaboration with other leading media outlets in Europe as well as being part of a large multimedia group in Spain. The newspaper has covered Albania frequently, mostly relate to “the position of Albania in major crisis such as regional stability, Kosovo or even Iraq.
Albania: visit number 2
Mr. Viral first came to Albania for the Kosovo crisis in 1999. Then the things that would leave him a strong impression were the refugee camps and Albanians’ solidarity with their ethnic kin, in welcoming them to their homes. What he can notice right now in Tirana is the “the feel, the smell and the colors” of a city that is changing and developing. Albania has caught some good speed in its progress and Mr. Viral has been happy to discover in his conversations with academics, decision makers and colleague journalist that there is a group of willing leadership in Albania to further reforms. “The thing that I most appreciate here, is the density of the pro European stance of this country. This will add a very good value to the future of the integration of this country,” he says, adding that a lot of countries in the region and surprisingly even member countries have not had such positive levels of popular support to integration.
Being a journalist in Brussels
According to Mr. Vidal there is an obvious need for any serious media of a candidate or aspiring candidate country to have its own correspondents in Brussels. When this is not feasible the frequency of meetings between journalist and media structures in Brussels should be as high as possible. The press people in Brussels are very efficient despite being a little bit bureaucratic in his perception. All journalists should become familiar with the mechanism of communication and information in Brussels.
His work there has awarded Mr. Vidal with interesting observations about the work of his colleagues form different countries in Europe. While some journalists keep staying together “like sheep, as in the case of Italians,” others take advantage of “the cooperation opportunities with colleagues from other nations,” he observes. This is made easier by the absence of competition which is higher in the case of journalists coming from the same country. Hence Brussels is an interesting place to experience the dynamics of the European melting pot even in terms of its effects on the media
EU expansion: walking
a tight rope between skepticism and enthusiasm
In a conversation with the Albanian Speaker of Parliament Mr. Vidal was cited as saying that in the beginning he was skeptical about EU enlargement and then when he saw the results s he changed his mind and thought the output was wonderful. I could not rest the temptation to ask his reasons for being skeptical. “More than being a skeptic, I was afraid,” he rightfully explained. There is a perennial dilemma between the importance of growing larger and that of reaching deeper. The European Union can benefit from enlargement only if that process is accompanied by serious comprehensive reforms, internal institutional democracy and continuous efforts to create a common all-encompassing identity. Mr. Viral is a fierce opponent of what he calls the British approach to Europe, a dry economic concept of a free common market. He is joined in his opinion by the Spanish Ambassador who is quick to remind us that the United Europe is mankind’s first experiment with unity without the prior use of force and conquest. Hence it’s a purely voluntary club, with rules and regulations, the first social contract ever since Rousseau conceived it. It is the supporters of the British view who were first pro expansion since they believed it did not entail any obligations
The growing fourth power
“I think that the media has to use cautiously, I wouldn’t say its power, but its capacity of influence. I think they have to be cautious about themselves. Independence of journalism starts by being independent not towards other powers but towards journalism itself.” Then he eloquently explains that this does not mean that a journalist should not have ideas, passions, inclinations and beliefs but that he should no try to impose those on the readers. As a journalist, a citizen and human being you are entitled to an opinion, but as he stresses, “you should not let your own opinion damage the golden rule of this profession which is: always verify, check the information. We are not the owners of information.” This is the basis of the journalism duty: to report information while at the same time giving an opportunity to others who don’t think like we do to have their own interpretation of it.
