Reporters Without Borders recently released its World Press Freedom Report 2023, which ranks the press freedom of 180 countries across the globe. According to the report, Albania has made progress in the ranking, moving up seven spots to 96th place, but remains the last-ranked Western Balkan country and second-to-last in Europe out of 40 countries in the EU-Balkans zone.
Although Albania’s score has increased slightly from 56.41 to 57.86 out of 100, it is important to note that the ranking improvement may be due to the fall of other countries, as Albania is in a score range with very small differences between countries, making it prone to volatility.
Press freedom in Albania still faces systematic problems, and journalists continue to be concerned about the negative impact of the recent centralization of the government and ruling party communications. The report also notes that verbal attacks on journalists were an issue in the first part of the year.
In the legal domain, the prosecutor’s office disproportionately restricted the coverage of a cyber-attack against Albanian institutions in September. However, the withdrawal of the “anti-defamation package” from the parliamentary agenda in November was a positive move for media freedom.
In terms of the safety of journalists, there were more attacks against journalists in 2022 compared to 2021. However, the police are perceived as making progress in investigating attacks and applying disciplinary measures for cases involving law enforcement officers. The shooting targeting the premises of TopChannel in March 2023, which led to the death of a guard, occurred after data collection for this year’s report had already closed.
Globally, the report shows that press freedom has declined for the fifth consecutive year, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating the trend. The report notes that governments around the world have used the pandemic as an excuse to crack down on the press, leading to increased censorship and harassment of journalists.
In Europe, Norway, Finland, and Sweden top the rankings as the freest countries for press freedom. However, the report highlights that press freedom has declined in several European countries, including Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.
Overall, the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Report 2023 highlights the importance of press freedom in promoting democracy and holding governments accountable. It also underscores the need for continued efforts to protect and promote press freedom worldwide.
Follow The Balkanista!
