Findings of the “Albanian Media Ladscape” study were presented today in the premises of the Faculty of History and Philology. The study among media professionals was realized by the Institute for Development, Research and Alternatives (IDRA), with the support of the Embassy of United States of America in Albania.

At the event were present: Mr. Brian Beckman, Head of Public Affairs Office at the United States Embassy in Albania, Mr. Auron Pashaj, Executive Director of the Institute for Development, Research and Alternatives (IDRA), Mr. Mark Marku, Head of Department of Journalism and Communication at the Faculty of History and Philology, Ms. Lorena Zajmi, Project Mangaer and Researcher at the Institute for Development, Research and Alternatives (IDRA) and Mr. Lutfi Dervishi, Media Consultant.

Recommendations for addressing problematic issues identified

In his speech, Mr. Brian Beckman, Head of the Public Affairs Office at the Embassy of United States of America in Albania, stated that “The United States values freedom of the press as a key component of democratic governance. Democratic societies are not infallible, but they are accountable, and the exchange of ideas is the foundation for accountable governance.  The press fosters active debate, provides investigative reporting, and serves as a forum to express different points of view, particularly on behalf of those who are marginalized in society.” Furthermore, Mr. Beckman mentioned “Today, on Press Freedom Day, I challenge you to seek and speak the truth. You can shape Albania’s future.  If you choose to be a truth-speaker, we will stand with you.”

The report on the “Albanian Media Landscape” offers a better understanding of the media landscape in Albania, national media policies, legislative environment and regulatory authority. Special attention was paid to exploring the media environment in general as well as the challenges faced by media professionals nowadays, including: editorial independence; political and business interference on editorials of journalists; job security for media employees; truthfulness of the news; and the professionalism of journalists and media freedom in Albania in particular.

Three most important key findings of the research are listed as follows:

1. About 17% of media professionals declare to not have work contracts or service agreements with their respective media. This figure goes up to 31% (without a contract) when looking at the respondents/media outside of Tirana. Even among those who have a contract about 30% of them stated that they do not feel “protected” by it.
2. Self-censorship is very common among Albanian media professionals. Respondents think that either “almost all of the media censors themselves” (41%) or that “some media censor themselves” (36%). News are “suppressed” or “delayed” because of: i) Government pressure, ii) Political parties’ pressure and iii) Business pressure.
3. Alarming results can be observed when asking respondents whether they think “journalists get verbally or psychologically abused when exercising their duties”. Combined the overwhelming majority thinks either that journalists get somewhat verbally or psychologically abused (66%), or even completely abused (19%). About 1 in 3 respondents declares that he/she himself/herself has been subject to verbal and physical threats during their job.

This is the first study conducted in Albania that creates a detailed diagnosis of the media climate in the country. Over 800 media professionals from all media typologies were part of this study.

Full report "Albanian Media Ladscape" ALB - ENG