Today marks World Press Freedom Day, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. Since then, the 3 May anniversary has been celebrated worldwide as a day to promote the fundamental principles of press freedom, to defend the media from attacks on their independence, and to pay tribute to journalists that have lost their lives in the line of duty.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres commented:
“No democracy is complete without access to transparent and reliable information. It is the cornerstone for building fair and impartial institutions, holding leaders accountable and speaking truth to power.”
Today is an important day and one where all of us need to remember that media freedom is the fourth pillar of democracy. Freedom of expression and freedom of speech are also fundamental human rights that are globally enshrined respected- they are not negotiable.
I myself was attacked by certain media sources and I then had my residence permit renewal stopped without a valid legal reason- this came just a couple of days after my reporting both locally and internationally on the Opposition protests and allegations of vote rigging in the last elections.
I reported facts, facts that were widely available on multiple media platforms, but as a result I was bombarded with a torrent of lies published about me on unscrupulous propaganda sites. I was then told I had to leave the country and pay a fine, despite being at risk of losing my baby the day the permit expired and being on doctor ordered bed rest, with medical certificates and drug prescriptions to prove it. My situation is yet to be resolved, despite me providing all of the documentation required by law.
But I am not scared and I am not deterred, and I still love Albania- but what my experience made me realise is that what I went through is just a fraction of what many Albanian journalists face, and have faced over the last few years.
Luigi Soreca, the EU Ambassador to Albania tweeted that “we celebrate the essential role of a free press”, despite the dire situation for the media in the country. He continued that the quality of a democratic process is linked to the state of freedom of expression.
Duncan Norman, the British Ambassador tweeted that “media freedom is increasingly under threat” and he published a photo of him meeting with local journalists to “discuss the local media environment” and how it could be better supported.
The US Embassy in Tirana took the opportunity to remind governments and politicians to “do their jobs to strengthen freedom of speech”, whilst adding that journalist should reflect on professional ethics and integrity.
The OSCE Presence described the media’s role as a “key pillar of a thriving democracy” and they applauded the work of journalists serving the public in sometimes difficult circumstances.
Journalist, writer, and member of the Albanian Media Council, Koloreto Cukali spoke of the global trend of press degradation and outlined three main problems facing journalists and the public today in Albania;
“1. The massive production of biased reporting, the so-called fake news, which by ironically are produced by those who use the term fake-news the most, the administrative power, mainly the Government and the Municipality (of Tirana).
2. The non-transparent financing of many media, mainly online portals. This money comes often from people in power, wealthy politicians or oligarchs. Often, media freedom is purchased directly through state funding or advertising of large companies.
3. Security of journalists, whether physical or of the job. Journalists are often threatened by the owners of editors to not do their job, or worse, report biased news. They are not protected by contracts, they do not enjoy functional unions and are literally under the mercy for media owners for their survival.”
He also called for legal self-regulation, the creation of unions and collective contracts to improve working conditions for journalists.
Sonila Meco, popular and well respected television journalist commented on the way in which the Albanian media is on the brink due to “conflicts of interest between politics, business, and organised crime”. She explained that the media is experiencing a confidence crisis which is “challenged by propaganda, irregular journalists contracts, and business owners interests”, adding that “it is not know where the propaganda press office ends and the newsroom begins.”
She proposed a law that would “regulate once and for all the relationship between power and media owners, instead of propaganda office laws that affect media freedom and access to public information”
Another Albanian journalist, freelancer Fatjona Mejdini who contributes for Balkan Insight, described a situation where mainstream media are “heavily influenced by the business interests of their owners”, as well as an issue of unregulated online media portals. She called on the community to think about solutions in pushing for ethical journalism, industry regulations, and innovative ways of sharing content.
“I see a hope in whoever can use non-conventional channels of communication to increase the quality of independent journalism and the pieces that they produce”
The right to freedom of expression and press freedom is not something that should be bestowed upon anyone by a government or politician. Rather it should be something that we, as humans and as citizens fight for when we even suspect that our rights are being infringed. In times when these fundamental rights are threatened, be it by trolls, politicians, bullies, or even other media workers, we need to be strong, retain our ethics and vow to make a change.
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