AMC participated in AIPCE’s webinar to discuss important topics

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The Albanian Media Council participated yesterday in the webinar organized by the Alliance of Independent Press Councils of Europe.

AIPCE is a network of independent content regulators for both press and broadcast media. European Councils are full members, non-European Councils are associate members. The participants of the webinar were Press Councils’ representatives from Albania, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Mongolia, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, United Kingdom / IPSO, ), as well as Mrs. Adeline Hulin (UNESCO), Renate Schroeder and Adrien Collin from European Federation of Journalists (EFJ).

Some of the discussed topics were:

  • privacy versus social interest
  • intrusive or pushy behavior of journalists towards patients or doctors and other health care providers
  • reporting related to scientific research into the treatment of diseases
  • reporting about or promotion for inactive medicines
  • sensational reporting and sensational titles
  • information behind the paywall
  • insufficiently critical or too critical reporting
  • changed narrative and the way in which corona and Covid-19 have made other themes and stories invisible
  • access to information for journalists and threats to freedom of the press
  • consequences for the practical functioning of press councils such as
  • increase or decrease in the number of complaints
  • have press councils issued new guidelines or changed their code
  • advice and training for journalists about the crisis or about dealing with stress
  • working from home
  • financial consequences for press councils
According to organizer, Pieter Knapen, ‘Such a webinar can show the outside world that as press councils we follow current events, even if in some cases the corona crisis has no or little impact on our operations. It may say something about the level of public satisfaction with reporting on the crisis and it can clarify whether there are small or large differences between different countries. This information can be relevant to the public, journalists and policy makers.’
Please find out more at: https://presscouncils.eu/

Reaction to the blocking of Medium and pornographic sites by AKEP

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The Albanian Media Council reacts with great concern to the blocking by AKEP of access to the Medium.com community website. From this decision, Albania joins 3 other countries that have blocked Medium: China, Egypt and Malaysia. This decision of AKEP is pure censorship, it is an anti-legal and anti-constitutional decision.

Also, a few days ago AKEP illegally blocked access within the territory of the Republic of Albania to some pornographic websites, which is also a pure censorship that leads Albania to the group of countries such as Saudi Arabia, where these websites are blocked for access.

AKEP does not have the legal right to do so.

Medium is an international blog where hundreds of people post articles and thousands more are updated daily. The Medium website remained blocked for several days, while on Tuesday some ISPs have not yet accessed it.

The reason for blocking “Medium” was a complaint to the AMA of Mr. Ermal Mamaqi for the publication of some links to pirated sites on this portal. While the case of pornographic websites had to do with the publication of an intimate video of an individual in the form of “revenge porn” (publication for the purpose of damaging intimate photos or videos of an individual). If the AMA has requested the closure of medium.com, the action of the AMA would be illegal. If AKEP has taken this decision itself, it is still an illegal act.

The AMC is committed to copyright, and is one of the promoters of the protection of this right. But it cannot tolerate censorship and anti-legal actions taken in the name of any just cause.

For example, if someone posts on the FB a list of pirated sites, this does not mean that the Albanian government should shut down the FB. Moreover, Medium.com has a page where it is clearly possible to report copyright infringement or plagiarism, which makes even more difficult the recommendation of AMA and the censorship of AKEP.

Even in the case of porn sites, AKEP has no legal right to block the entire site for a single material.

“Revenge porn” is one of the ugliest phenomena of Albanian society and a pure criminal act. The Albanian state must create mechanisms to protect the victims of “revenge porn” by condemning in the first place the person who distributed this video. But, if that video is circulating in the Whatsapp application, it does not mean that AKEP or anyone else should block its use in the Albanian territory.

The AMC is very concerned that, while the censorship law against the media has not yet been adopted pending the decision of the Venice Commission, AKEP and AMA are acting as if this law were in force.

The SEC calls on international bodies to intervene in the pure application of censorship in Albanian territory.

The AMC calls on partner media to report heavily on censorship.

The AMC also calls on Albanian citizens to react strongly to actions that restrict their right to information in an anti-legal and anti-constitutional manner.

Together we must stop these actions from turning into something “normal” for Albania.

Dutch MPs: Controversial ‘Anti-defamation’ Law Must Be Amended Before EU Accession Talks Start

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Members of Dutch Parliament have asked their government to ensure that Albania amends the controversial “anti-defamation” law in line with the forthcoming recommendations of the Venice Commission reported today Exit.al

Dutch Parliament

The parliamentary record for a debate on European Integration states that Dutch MPs will support the opening of negotiations for accession talks with Albania. They said however that a number of issues need to be addressed including the judicial vetting process, corruption, organised crime, unfounded asylum applications amongst others. It also states that the initiation of proceedings against those accused of vote-buying should be a key priority.

It also clearly states that the media law must be amended to reflect the recommendations of the Venice Commission, noting that this is also an important priority. (Read more at Exit.al)

Concerns have been raised by local and international media freedom organisations, the OSCE, CoE, EU and members of EU Parliament over fears the law will be used as a political tool to control independent media.

The Albanian Media Council has reacted with interest to this law and infringed on freedom of the press more than reincarnations to fulfill.

UNESCO welcomes press councils’ call for professional reporting on COVID-19 in South East Europe

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“Unprofessional reporting about COVID-19 leads to unnecessary fear and panic. It may be a bigger risk than the coronavirus itself,” alerted Marina Tuneva, Director of the Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia (CMEM).

On 27 February 2020, The Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia (CMEM) took the lead in releasing a press alert calling on media in North Macedonia to be careful in their selection of sources of information. The statement, welcomed and widely adopted by the media, urged them to avoid sensationalism and highlighted the responsibility that journalists bear. This early action to prevent the further spreading of disinformation, reminded media of their crucial role in responsibly and accurately informing the public.

“We are not just fighting an epidemic, we are fighting an infodemic”, warned Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization

Still, the Media Council received several complaints from citizens concerning unethical reporting on the COVID-19. The Media Council therefore joined forces with the Association of Journalists of North Macedonia to release specific ‘Guidelines on ethical, accountable and professional reporting on the coronavirus’ in Macedonian and Albanian languages, sent to all media organizations of the country on 17 March 2020.

“We are not just fighting an epidemic, we are fighting an infodemic”, warned Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). “The way the media council in North Macedonia immediately reacted to the COVID-19 crisis by issuing specific guidelines for media in the country is much needed and welcomed. Press councils have a crucial role to play in ensuring that media outlets commit to professional standards, avoid circulating rumours about the virus and even help detect the lies spread on social media,” highlighted Adeline Hulin from the UNESCO Brussels Office.

As South East Europe is exposed to the spread of disinformation, the EU-funded UNESCO Project Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey – Phase 2 proves particularly relevant. The project aims to strengthen media accountability and to raise awareness of the society on the detection of “disinformation”. To achieve this, the project provides direct support to press and media councils to strengthen media’s commitment to journalistic professional and ethical standards. At the same time, it reinforces Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in the region to empower citizens, in particular the youth of the region, to think critically about the information they receive through media, especially, social media.

“Press councils have a crucial role to play in ensuring that media outlets commit to professional standards, avoid circulating rumours about the virus and even help detect the lies spread on social media” – Ade;ine Hulin, Project Officer, UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels

Not only CMEM issued guidelines on the media reporting of the COVID-19. When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the Press Council of Kosovo* (under UNSCR 1244) issued a statement emphasizing the important role of media in combatting this health crisis, by reporting responsibly, referring to solely credible sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institute of Public Health and Government sources. The Press Council of Kosovo* (under UNSCR 1244) highlighted the efforts of the Ministry of Health and the Institution for Public Health to inform citizens in an accurate and timely manner on the measures being taken. Similarly, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Press Council referred to the recommendations of WHO and reminded media if the importance of avoiding stigmatization of those having the virus. It also released a “Reminder for the Media” on 12 March 2020 to maintain high professional standards in all circumstances as prescribed by the Press Code. In Serbia, the Press Council welcomed the statements of news organizations such as the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS) to provide citizens with regular, verified, accurate and factual reporting and to avoid sensationalism that leads to panic. As a result, the Serbian Ministry of Health created a specialized website with institutional updates every 12 hours.

In Albania, the Media Council did not yet release a press alert or specific guidelines for media. “We monitor the situation closely and the Albanian media is so far providing responsible reporting on the COVID-19 situation in the country,” indicated Koloreto Cukali, General Secretary of the self-regulatory body. However, Mr Cukali expressed concern about Albanian media’s lack of access to transparent information about the current situation in the country as the Ministry of Health must give its prior permission for all medical staff to be interviewed. Feeling that hereby the transparency, trust in media and proper reporting is systematically being undermined, the Albanian Media Council and several media organizations issued a declaration asking for increased access to information and reacting to the government blaming media for the so-called “infodemic”.

As disinformation regarding COVID-19 continues spreading on social media, the World Health Organization (WHO) reminded media that words chosen to report about the pandemic needs to be chosen carefully. For instance, to avoid using “victims” and instead speak of “people with COVID-19” or to avoid talking about people “transmitting or infecting the virus” as it implies intentional transmission and assigns blames.

“Evidence clearly shows that stigma and fear around communicable diseases hamper the response. What works is building trust in reliable health services and advice, showing empathy with those affected, understanding the disease itself, and adopting effective, practical measures so people can help keep themselves and their loved ones safe,” highlights the World Health Organization (WHO).

Successfully ended the 6th group of young journalists

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The 6th group of young journalists, who were trained while working on ethical issues, completed the training. This project envisages to train 72 young journalists currently working in the online media within two years, to be trained in their daily work in order to improve the ethical standards in the media where they work. Three reporters from the sixth group work for Gazeta-shqip.com, Liberale.al and Fjala.al.

Training with the sixth group of journalists

During the discussion, importance was given to the reported news of the spread of coronavirus in Albania. Journalists in this case find it difficult to obtain accurate information on the number of those affected.

Longtime journalist Alfred Lela and ethics expert Mark Marku

In almost all groups the start of training starts with a number of violations of about 15-20 violations per week while at the end of training the number of violations goes down to almost zero. The training lasted 4 weeks and the work of the journalists was evaluated by longtime media journalist Alfred Lela and ethics expert Mark Marku giving their views. The purpose of the training in collaboration with the Dutch Embassy is to stimulate debate on media ethics with the working group of journalists.

Training experience through exhibition

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Albanian Media Council held this Thursday training with young journalists under the MATRA project at the World Press Photo Exhibition, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tirana, Ms. Guusje Korthals Altes.

gazetarët e rinj dhe stafi i monitorimit i KSHM, në një bisedë në prani të Ambasadores së Mbretërisë së Vendeve të Ulëta, Guusje Korthals Altes dhe gazetarit Alfred Lela.

Journalists in a debate about ethics in the presence of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mrs. Guusje Korthals Altes.

The exhibition “World Press Photo 2019” on her tour around the world also comes to Albania, showcasing the stories that matter with photography from the 62nd annual World Press Photo contest. The winners were selected by an independent jury that reviewed more than 78,801 photographs entered by 4,738 photographers from 129 countries.

The team’s ethical leader, journalist Alfred Lela

The discussion with the young journalists focused on the importance of photojournalism in the Albanian and foreign media, asked by Ambassador Ms. Altes, the journalists showed the problems of ethical reporting through photos such as the dilemma of publishing juveniles, family members and victims in accidents or disasters.

The team’s ethical leader, journalist Alfred Lela, emphasized the need for any ethical decisions to be made on a case-by-case basis, and explained cases where the general good weighs more than privacy, which causes some photos to be published with the intention of raising the alarm for a a humanitarian emergency situation, for example.

In the photo series of the exhibition, what impressed the audience were: football fans in Iran, the juvenile lying on the mattress surrounded by debris, and the juvenile receiving medical treatment.

They also discussed the most frequent violations committed by online media and how ethical reporting could be improved. The AMC monitoring staff indicated that the most violations committed so far are: editorial independence, distinguishing fact from opinion and not mentioning the country in the title.

As part of the Matra project of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the AMC will train on-going 72 young journalists working in various portals, to engage them more in the approach to ethical journalism.

Statement of Albanian Journalists

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Gathered in Hotel Tirana on December 13th, The Albanian Journalists made the following statement about the new laws against freedom of media.

STATEMENT

Journalists, media, organizations and social groups through this statement calls upon the Government of Albania to immediately withdraw the two draft-laws presented as “Andi-Defamation Package”. This request is not negotiable. We call upon the government of Albania to immediately withdraw them.Organizations assess that the two draft-laws, the one that aim to transform the Audiovisual Media (AMA) Authority in a censorship office and the other, that aims to transform the Communication Authority in an office for the execution of the AMA decisions of censorship, are of no precedent in the democratic world. Questions of ethics, such as the right for answer against a claim, or the right to respond before the publication of an allegation, in any democratic country are a matter of the codes of ethics and of the structures of self-regulation. Matters of hybrid warfare, disinformation, the financing of media or of political parties and groups by dirty money sourced by politicians or organized crime are a matter that should be investigated by law enforcement agencies within the rights and duties granted to them by existing laws, such as penal code or penal procedural code. Albania has laws that regulate the matters when media infringe upon the rights of others and any further intervention, including that of the creation of an administrative body, are absolutely not necessary in a democratic country. The matters of defamation or libel in the Republic of Albania and in any other country under the rule of law should be settled only in courts as independent power. The attempt to substitute courts with organs directly controlled by political power creates the basis for serious violation of the human rights and could be used as a founding stone for a dictatorial regime.

Internationals “kill” Rama’s package of online media in Parliament

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* from Aleksandra Bogdani, BIRN

Representatives of the EU, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the United Nations unanimously criticized the violation of freedom of expression through draft laws on online media control, and called on lawmakers to take a step back.

International institutions invited in the round of consultations on the “anti-defamation package” unanimously on Monday criticized the Rama government’s draft laws on regulating online media at the Law Commission.

Representatives of European Union, OSCE, Council of Europe and United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights voiced concerns over the violation of media freedom in Albania and called on lawmakers to take a step back with the proposed bills.

Scheduled to take place initially at 10am, the meeting with representatives of international organizations was postponed for two and a half hours and started again late, as Socialist MPs were present at Prime Minister Edi Rama’s marathon presentation of which he called “special anti-PKK packages”.

Upon arriving at the chamber, the Law Commission Chairman Ulsi Manja spoke of the drafts as “improved” and “agreed with the vast majority of internationals and especially the OSCE”, a claim that heavily stonewalled with the opinions expressed from representatives of these organizations.

Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Tirana, Monika Bylaite, said at the beginning of her speech that the Commission had submitted its comments twice in February and June and hinted that not all concerns about freedom of expression were taken into account.

“The Commission proposes less agressive approaches, such as the media self-regulation. European and international standards on freedom of expression are key in this process and I urge the commission to fully take them into account, ”said Bylaite, who added that the EU shares concerns that the increase of AMA’s competences affects freedom of expression.

Irina Radu, head of the OSCE’s Media Office, initially disputed the statements of the majority of the MPs that the drafts had been agreed with the OSCE, adding that despite some improvements there were still concerns.

“Our office in Vienna has helped and hired experts on this legislation at the request of the Albanian prime minister from the beginning, but it is not the same as saying that the OSCE approved these draft laws,” said Radu at the roundtable.

“We are concerned that the AMA is heavily present in the law. We would like the issues to be settled in the court and in no way by AMA. We notice that the fines have been reduced, but they are still disproportionate,” she added.

In a diversive attempt, the legal package rapporteur Klotilda Bushka underestimated the criticism of EU and OSCE representatives in Tirana, claiming that the opinions of the Vienna Office for Media Freedom and the European Commission in Brussels were taken into account.

Klotilda Bushka and Vasilika Hysi, The 2 Albanian co-relators of the socalled "Anti-defamation" package | Photo : BIRN

Bushka and Hysi, the 2 Albanian co-relators of the socalled “Anti-defamation” package | Photo : BIRN

“The last legal opinion from Vienna came in October and all their comments were reflected in the draft prepared on 12 November 2019. I thank the EU and OSCE experts for their expertise,” Bushka said.

“We have a long process, almost a year of consulting so much. It is time to be concrete and start discussing the articles in detail, ”she suggested.

Along the same lines, co-rapporteur Vasilika Hysi asked for concrete opinions from representatives of the Council of Europe on how hate speech, child protection, xenophobia or homophobia can be restricted – which according to her are commonly found in portals.

Vice/Chairman of the EU Delegation in Tirana, Monika Bylaite and the Expert of te Council of Europe, Dierde Kevin - Photo - BIRN

Vice/Chairman of the EU Delegation in Tirana, Monika Bylaite and the Expert of te Council of Europe, Dierde Kevin – Photo – BIRN

But Council of Europe expert Deirdre Kevin attacked the essence of the purpose of the bills, not considering the article-by-article discussion to be useful. In an exhaustive analysis, Kevin said the government’s draft laws run counter to a series of Council of Europe recommendations and resolutions promoting self-regulation in the media.

“Looking at both versions, the purpose of these amendments is almost the same, despite minor changes referred to by the OSCE. So we can briefly discuss changes to the essence and purpose of the law, which puts online publications in a statutory regulation regime that is considered normal for audiovisual media and licensed entities only,” said Deirdre Kevin, considering the government’s proposal unusual.

“… the essence of the purpose of the law is again problematic and does not meet the standards of freedom of expression,” she said, stressing that the standard is self-regulation and addressing complaints through the media council.

The Council of Europe expert also dismissed the government’s claims that the bills address disinformation and hate speech, adding that they are more focused on defamation claims.”

In the multitude of issues that make this process complex, it is difficult to imagine how the Regulatory Authority could respond within 72 hours to any particular complaint because the court notes that there are different levels of protection for people and politicians are less protected against criticism. There are also demands to separate facts from judgments and opinions, ”she stressed.

Kevin asked if the bill also included newspaper websites, and following the “No” response from reporters, deepened her criticism on the grounds that the draft was both discriminatory and unfair.

In the face of the mishmash created by the version changes, expert Kevin’s only suggestion to lawmakers was to “take a step back and consider restarting work, as this kind of regulation is not in line with Council of Europe standards and any European practices that can be identified ”.

Even UN representative Fjoralba Shkodra, who read a comment prepared by the Commissioner for Human Rights, did not spare criticism of the draft laws.

“The fines are very high and this measure could lead in the opposite direction, to silence journalists and investigative media,” Shkodra told the Commission.“

The issue of rights must be resolved under the jurisdiction of the courts. The issue of fake news and disinformation needs to be resolved in promoting and strengthening the quality of the media and not by banning freedom of expression, ”she added.

In addition to unspared criticism, discussions at the Law Commission highlighted also some paradoxes. AMA Chairman Gentian Sala noted contradictions between the statements of international organizations, also adding that the AMA Board had made its position public. In a November 18 statement, most bodily members opposed changes to the AMA organic law.

Parliamentary Comission of Laws and Human Rights | Foto - BIRN

Parliamentary Comission of Laws and Human Rights | Photo – BIRN

While the head of the Law Commission, Ulsi Manja, considered the criticisms as “different points of view” and he also called on AMA Chairman and international organizations, to submit the comments on the legal changes in writing.

Deputy Head of the EU Delegation, Monika Bylaite, once again reinforced the approach taken by the four organizations present at the roundtable.

“The four organizations here said the same thing, that the approach should be easier. We are for a self-regulatory approach, ”Bylaite said.

MP Ralf Gjoni who asked for a speech on behalf of the opposition, asked if the bill also regulates ERTV, the prime minister’s own straming tv on Facebook, and, while expressing his support for the regulation, criticized the fact that such an initiative comes to Parliament from Prime Minister Rama.

“The owner of ERTV and the owner of the Socialist Party brings legal initiative to the media in Parliament. While MPs are given this spoon-filled mess by the Council of Ministers or the Prime Minister and they are told to vote it, ”Gjoni said, adding that the bills should not be voted without 100% agreement with the internationals.

* This English version is a rough translation from the Albanian version

Copyright: Reporter.al

University of Elbasan: Is it the time for the “Order of Journalism”?

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Unlike many other universities that AMC has visited during the universities’ tour where most students aspire to a future in communication or PR positions, at the Univ. A. Xhuvani in elbasan, most of them dreamed of journalism.

Prof. Mark Marku with students of Journalism in the Uni. “A. Xhuvani” of Elbasan

The students were well aware of the ethical problems that the media present in the country and presented their concerns during the debate. They expressed the need to regulate the lack of ethics in the country, although they were well aware that this could not be done through state regulation. According to Mr. Mark, if it were necessary to choose between a quality but state-controlled journalism and a non-quality but free journalism, the scales should skew the latter.

Jornalists S. Shameti (center) and A. Lela (right) during the visit in the “A. Xhuvani” University of Elbasan

One of the ideas hinted by the students was to create an institution similar to the Journalist Order (as it is in Italy) which would be able to “certify” journalists employed in the media to guarantee their ethics. Although the journalist Lela considered it necessary to have a qualitative hierarchy in journalism, Mr. Cukali argued that this would affect the freedom of anyone who does not have a certificate to engage in journalism, or even in the form of citizen journalism.

Jornalists S. Shameti debating with the students of “A. Xhuvani” University

Students and professors of the University asked AMC to raise the standards of journalism of today, but in the end the overriding idea was that the public, who through their “clickings” is the ultimate “certifier” of the media quality, was of primary importance.

If the audience prefers to click on the journalism of “spectacle” and abusive media, it will create space for this journalism to flourish. The more illiterate the media audience is, the more the unethical media will thrive.

In the newsroom of NEWS24 TV Channel: Ethics on revealing a child’s identity

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  AMC paid a visit today to the Channel News24’s newsroom, one of the oldest information television stations in the country, as part of a toru through Albanian media newsrooms. This visit was the first in a television newsroom, and moreover, a newsroom that “feeds” with news many portals and newspapers.The conversation included recent events related to ethics in the country, the situation of journalists, the responsibility for unethical journalism of the media owners.The conversation tackled the ethical question of whether the child’s identity should be protected in the news if his/her life depended on this news. In the News 24 newsroom there were cases where the child’s parents sought the public’s help to crowdfund the medication of sick children, but in order to build credibility on these cases and to encite the empathy and citizen engagement, newsroom journalists were forced to reveal the image of the child. Mark Mark, an ethics expert, argued that the child’s life is the most important, and ethical violations (such as not revealing the child’s identity) can be circumvented in order to protect life. Journalist Klodiana Lala noted the declining quality of newsrooms, which employ unprepared and unread journalists. In relation to the “ready-made tapes” produced by the City Hall, the Government and political parties, and broadcasted by television without being verified as news, the journalists stated that this is a problem caused by the owners and that the journalists are threatened with “job lose” . Regardless, the AMC said that the professional conduct asks of a journalist to resist if owners and editors try to distort reporting, force them to produce unethical reporting, or pressure them to take away their independence.NEWS 24 journalists were very interested in joining the fight against media law, a law aimed at controlling the media from the Government through the AMA, using fines and sanctions on ethical issues.Visits to newsrooms, supported by OSFA’s media project, will continue in the coming weeks in other Albanian media outlets.