A truly free and independent media is a cornerstone of democracy
Albania is a land of stark contrasts in many aspects, and its media scene is no exception.
Numerous media outlets create a vibrant scene at first sight, but scratching under the surface, observers find real problems with media freedom and the ability of the journalists to fully and ethically do their job.
Albanian journalists enjoy great freedom under the country’s laws, but political pressure is often tied to how the funding to operate is obtained, which then bends and shape of the editorial line to being unbalanced and yielding to political pressure.
The Albanian media has an immense obligation to hold politicians accountable at a time when many of the country’s official institutions are failing to do so. In fact, public opinion polls show the media is the most trusted institution to expose corruption; however, things are often done selectively and media outlets can serve at the same time both as an attacker and client of political and economic interest.
It is clear that political interference is negatively affecting the development of the free media in the country. Furthermore, particularly with media that are extreme in their support of one political party or another, the aim is to drown out contrary reporting.
What’s more troubling, since journalists know the editorial line of the newsroom, self-censorship often plays as much of a role as does official censorship.
Beyond the private media, which are now the primary source of news in Albania, it is clear the government is not doing enough to allow for a real independent and powerful public broadcaster, which has driven viewership and investment down.
The way publically-funded advertisements have been distributed among different private media has also been cause for concern as the system can lead to pressure to change the editorial line, and reward positive coverage.
And despite the fact that Albanian legislation clearly provides unprecedented freedoms that keep journalists safe from being sued and pressured, and the government does not officially pressure any journalist or outlet to steer them away from critical coverage, as with a lot of things in Albania, things in practice are are often different from what’s in the books. As such freedoms are often not used, or even worse, they are misused stepping on the ethical boundaries of journalists.
At a time when economic realities are harsh in the Albanian media market, it’s easy for those in power to pressure outlets away from negative coverage.
The light at the end of the tunnel is the EU integration process. The EU has increased attention to these issues in the EU accession process and is closely monitoring developments in this area in the enlargement countries, including Albania, encouraging a truly free and independent media as a cornerstone of democracy.
At the end of the day, the media in Albania faces some real challenges, but moving forward things will change, as the country moves closer to the European Union and true market forces start to take shape on commercial media and for the public media to improve and mirror its counterparts in the EU.
