Citizens of Sofia took to the streets on September 2nd to protest against corruption and abuse of power. Dissatisfied with the government led by Boyko Borisov and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev, they demanded her resignation. According to eyewitness reports, police used excessive violence against protesters, journalists and media workers, something that is increasingly being seen in Europe.

The European Center for Freedom of the Press and Media said police used indiscriminate tear gas against journalists from various media outlets covering the protests. As a result, many media workers have sought medical help.

“Journalists and media workers play a vital role in covering public protests, ensuring independent control of all movements and reinforcing the importance of the fundamental right to protest and free assembly. ECPMF calls on Bulgarian authorities to fully and transparently investigate all reported cases of excessive use of force against journalists and bring them to justice. ”

Freelance journalist Dimitar Kenarov crawled across the sidewalk, was kicked in the face and head, and his camera was damaged. Despite the fact that he consistently identified himself as a journalist and had a clear visible “PRESS” sign on his mask, this was ignored by the authorities. He was handcuffed to the ground for hours before being taken to a police station where he received a warning and was later released.

The same scenario was encountered by Albania at the beginning of this year, the police used force against journalists who reported on the demolition of the National Theater and the numerous protests that were previously organized in its defense. Several journalists were attacked and detained while covering the event. Also, during the anti-government protests of 2019, tear gas was used against citizens as well as journalists who reported from the field causing incidents. Police allegedly attacked media workers.

The OSCE in Albania has issued a press statement on World Press Freedom Day in which it says it stands by Albanian journalists in their mission, especially in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The official statement also reiterated the OSCE’s recommendations to the media. One of them is the self-regulation of the media as an important alternative to its proper functioning in contrast to regulation through government.

OSCE Full Declaration

On the World Press Freedom Day, the OSCE Presence in Albania stands by the Albanian journalists in fulfilling media’s crucial mission in democratic countries at any times, and especially in times of crisis like the current COVID-19 pandemic. We support them in their efforts for proper working contracts, better access to information, freedom of expression, and increased professionalism.

On this occasion, we also reiterate the OSCE’s recommendations for access for journalists to public events in particular during election campaigns, deconcentration of media ownership, and full decriminalization of defamation, and encourage media self-regulation as a superior alternative to government regulation.

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.

“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).