Tag Archive for: ALBANIA

Bllokimi i faqeve online të CNA, akt censure

KShM shpreh shqetësimin e vet për sulmin e përsëritur në rrjetet sociale ndaj medias CNA.

Bllokimi i faqeve të çfarëdo medie, qoftë në web, qoftë në rrjete sociale mund dhe duhet të bëhet VETËM me një vendim të prerë të gjykatave shqiptare.

Nëse publikut i bllokohet aksesi, pa vendim gjykate, përveç rasteve të parashikuara me ligj, përbën një shkeljew të pastër të lirisë së infomrimt e lirisë së shprehjes dhe cënim të fjalës së lirë.  

KShM i bën thirrje platformave të rrjeteve sociale të evitojnë bllokime të mediave, dhe sidomos pa një njoftim paraprak të të prekurve.

The Albanian Media Council presents the pilot study Problems with Ethical Regulation of the Albanian Media from the Facebook platform

On, February 24th, 2022, The Albanian Media Council presented at a press conference, held at the venue of Tirana Times,  the pilot study Problems with the Ethical Regulation of the Albanian Media by the Facebook Platform. The event brought together in a round table journalists, media professionals and organizations engaged in the implementation of media ethics. The pilot is supported by UNESCO through its project ‘BUILDING TRUST IN MEDIA IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE AND TURKEY’.

The study, which took place in the period January -February 2022, included cases identified during 2021, by 20 media, members of the Alliance for Ethical Media based on the self-declaration and aimed at identifying the type of FB interference in news articles published on this platform.

The AMC Chairman, Mr. Koloreto Cukali, in his speech said that the phenomenon of blocking articles was quite visible during data collection and consisted of four forms: deleting the material, blocking the page, blocking the distribution as well as in sponsorship block. Mr. Cukali said that after analyzing the data, there was a trend that a certain media, Facebook always blocked articles regardless of the category of the article (editorial, topicality, etc.) using the same argument.

The study included 22 documented cases and 50 reported cases as well as notifications by categories received from FB.

The Albanian Media Council presents the pilot study Problems with Ethical Regulation of the Albanian Media from the Facebook platform

Mr. Agim Doksani from the Albanian Media Institute praised the study conducted by the Council and suggested the construction of an complaint instance in order not to create a kind of censorship for certain articles.

Also, Mr. Roden Hoxha, Executive Director of the Albanian Center for Quality Journalism, said that in their publications they had encountered problems with sponsorships, where in 99% of cases review requests were not approved and were forced to do or sponsor with specific name or not to make sponsorships. This phenomenon brought later issues, says Mr. Hoxha.Prezantimi në Tirana Times 2022-02-24

Regional Declaration of Press Councils in South East Europe

Sarajevo, 17 November 2021

Signing of the Decalaration of the Regional Press Councils of South-East Europe and Turkey

Signing of the Declaration of the Regional Press Councils of South-East Europe and Turkey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We, the representatives of Press and Media Councils from South East Europe and Turkey,

Recognizing the role of journalism in producing and disseminating public interest information, especially in times of crisis, and emphasizing the overriding importance of this role remaining free from capture or distorting influence;

Reminding the critical role played by media self-regulation in fostering media freedom through ensuring enforcement of journalistic ethical standards, helping minimize state intervention in the field of media freedom, and serving to decrease judicial action against the media;

Highlighting the importance of public trust in media and the challenges of maintaining media professionalism in an environment where new forms of media are constantly evolving;

Recalling the endeavour of press and media councils to adapt their codes of ethics to the new digital media ecosystem providing journalists with specific guidelines on how to work in this environment;

Alarmed by the dire financial situation of press and media councils causing existential threats to the independence and sustainability of these bodies;

Deploring ongoing threats to the safety of journalists in the region and alarmed by the resurgence of political threats to media independence, such as the abuse of State resources, including advertising, efforts by political figures to capture media, withdrawal of accreditation from journalists, harsh attacks which aim to stigmatise and discredit the media, and the targeting of the media through the abuse of judicial proceedings;

Stressing the potential threats of government’s attempts to regulate online media in particular the potential impact on the role of media self-regulation and thereby the existence of press and media councils;

Acknowledging that a lack of transparency of media ownership can promote the undue concentration of media ownership and thereby limit media diversity,

Mindful of the new opportunities that social media platforms offer to journalists to disseminate their work, yet also noting that platforms are not neutral but have assumed an active curatorial or editorial role, including through the use of algorithmic systems, in the dissemination of content produced by media and other actors;

Alarmed by the growing number of malicious actors targeting and attacking independent media on social media platforms to reduce or prevent their distribution and outreach on these platforms;

Troubled by the increasing number of complaints received by press and media councils regarding the proliferation, amplification, and promotion of potentially online harmful content, including disinformation and hate speech;

Noting the variety of new media actors online performing journalistic work and the importance of cooperation among them in pursuit of journalism as a public good;

Highlighting the urgency of equipping citizens with media and information literacy skills to enable them to navigate the evolving information landscape notably by the capacity to distinguish reliable from unreliable information and support professional journalism;

 

We, therefore, call on media professionals of the region to:

ABIDE by media professional standards and codes of ethics developed by press and media councils and other media actors and ensure that they are aware and sufficiently trained on professional standards;

ENSURE visibility of adherence to the system of media self-regulation and thereby supporting citizens in distinguishing media outlets committed to the system of media self-regulation from those outside of the system and in informing them about the existence of a free of charge complaint mechanism when there is a potential breach of media professional standards;

ENSURE the transparency of their ownership and to support media and journalists’ organizations in their efforts for improving the working conditions of all media workers thereby contributing to restoring trust in media;

CONTRIBUTE to the financing of the press and media councils to ensure the independence of media self-regulation and sustainability;

 

We, therefore, call on public authorities and institutions to:

PROMOTE media pluralism and safeguard the sustainability of journalism through support to media linked to ensuring compliance of media with professional standards or abidance to media self-regulation;

PROMOTE media and information literacy in formal and informal education;

ENSURE that representatives of press and media councils are consulted and engaged in all initiatives related or pertaining to media (self)-regulation online and offline;

REFRAIN from undue regulation of the digital media environment and not in line with international standards related to freedom of expression;

 

We, therefore, call on internet platforms to:

COOPERATE with media self-regulation and civil society organizations at the local level in order to safeguard and enhance guarantees for the full exercise of the right to information and freedom of expression, both online and offline;

COLLABORATE with media and press councils to install a dialogue and develop appropriate actions to mitigate online harmful content while prioritizing information of public interest on internet platforms;

PROVIDE opportunities to members of media and press councils for specific appeal mechanisms and inquiries related to their journalistic content being taken down on social media platforms;

ASSIGN dedicated local representatives available for interaction with media and press councils;

ENSURE that the local contexts – in particular related to political aspects and online harmful content – are taken into consideration in content moderation, both in taking down, downranking, and increasing visibility, of journalistic content online, by increasing the level of human moderators adequately trained on sensitive local political, cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic aspects.

 

 

 

Digital transformation in a changing media landscape

On October 30, Swedish Radio Media Development Office held a seminar, based on SVT’s experience of covering the terrorist attack in Paris in 2015, which revealed serious shortcomings in the organization for both the offer in broadcast and especially online. SVT is now one of the leading news providers on the internet in Sweden. The digital transformation has made SVT a better and faster news provider on all available platforms.

The seminar was organized in cooperation with Albanian Media Council and the Albanian Public Provider (RTSh), and was attended by journalists of the media members of the Alliance for Ethical Media, of RTSh and students of the Faculty of Journalism in the Tirana University.

To accelerate the digital transformation of Albanian media the Swedish Radio Media Development Office is also performing a case study in order to support the digital transformation within the media landscape in Albania.

Among the topics discussed were:

The world are changing – and so the media landscape. How SVT News moved from broadcast to app, and thte 8 success factors for a digital transformation.

 

All must condemn the death threats against journalist Alice Taylor!

AMC strongly condemns the death threats sent on social networks to the journalist Alice Taylor, who is also a member of the Board of the Alliance for Ethical Media. These threats, made from fake Facebook accounts that may come from individuals, companies, politicians or even political groups who have reason to be afraid of the work of independent journalists, are a clear expression of the climate of violence against the media that exists in the country. The Albanian government cannot be blamed directly for such threats from fake Facebook accounts, but, it must take responsibility for the climate of violence against journalists, which creates the environment for such acts. This violent climate can be eradicated only through strong reactions from the executive branch and all political actors in the country; as well as through concrete acts to find the culprits.

AMC calls on the Albanian authorities to fully investigate the event and find the persons responsible, so to discourage further threats of death to other fellow journalists.

 

Media and Civil Rights Organizations declare themselves against the new attempts to pass the Defamation Package

Statement

11 September 2020

Civil Society Calls Upon Parliament of Albania to Dismiss the Current Anti-Defamation Law and Starts the Process from Scratch

Fifteen civil society organizations of Albania had been informed in an informal way for yet another attempt by the Parliamentary majority of the Socialist Party to push forward, in an incorrect and not transparent way, the controversial law on online media, in what seems to be an attempt to ignore the Opinion of the Venice Commission and to bypass some serious concerns expressed in that Opinion.

The organizations had been informed that the Parliament of Albania plans to revise the Decree of President Meta for the returning of the law for further parliamentary discussions based on clause 86 of the Regulation. If so, the Parliament will limit its discussion on matters on which the Decree of the President has explicitly expressed objections.

Organizations observe that this is the wrong way to treat this problem and fails to address the main concerns raised by the Opinion of the Venice Commission. Due to this, the organizations call upon the Parliament of Albania to accept the decree of the President and start the process from scratch because only in this way we can be sure that such initiative for changing of the laws will be fully compatible with Albania Constitution and International standards on freedom of speech.

If the Parliament deals only with concerns expressed by the decree of the President, the Parliament will ignore several grave concerns raised by the civil society and the Venice Commission, thus bringing a law that could hamper freedom of speech in Albania.

The organizations recall paragraphs 71 and 72 of the Venice Commission Opinion to emphasise that the current draft-law cannot and should not be enforced. The paragraph 71 reads:

“The Venice Commission, while appreciating that a comprehensive reform of the AMA enhancing its independence and professionalism may be a politically challenging endeavor, advises against extending the mandate of the AMA in the field of the online media without a corresponding strengthening of its independence and professionalism.”

Organizations observe that independence and professionalism of this institution (AMA), as recommended by the Venice Commission, cannot be simply achieved by correcting laws, nonetheless in the conditions of urgency expressed in this situation, but demands a long and meaningful debates among stakeholders.

The organizations emphasize also that the paragraph 72 of the Venice Commission it is recommended that problem of malicious or irresponsible media behaviour in the internet “Albanian authorities to support the setting-up of an effectively functioning and independent self-regulatory body,” instead of insisting on proposed model of administrative regulation.

Based on above-mentioned arguments, the organizations demand from the Parliament of Albania to stop plans to create laws that violates the Constitution of Albania and international standards.

Organizations express their readiness to help the Parliament of Albania in dealing with these concerns.

The list of organizations:

BIRN Albania

Civil Rights Defenders

Citizens Channel

Faktoje

Grupi Shqiptar per te drejtat e njeriut

Këshilli Shqiptar i Medias

Komiteti shqiptar i Helsinkit

Lidhja e Gazetarëve të Shqipërisë

New Media Network

Qendra Res Publica

Qendra Shqiptare MediaLook

Qendra Shqiptare për Gazetari Cilësore

Shoqata e Gazetarëve Profesionistë të Shqipërisë

Shoqata e Gazetarëve Europianë të Shqipërisë

Unioni i Gazetarëve Shqiptarë

 

AMC protests against the insulting and threatening messages towards the journalist Beti Njuma by the Mayor of Tirana!!

The Albanian Media Council, together with journalists and partner media, strongly PROTESTS against the scandal of phone messages allegedly addressed to the owner of Ora News, Mr. Ylli Ndroqi, by the Mayor of Tirana, Mr. Erion Veliaj.
The messages, while insulting personally and professionally the journalist Beti Njuma, show clearly the pressure to control the editorial line of Ora News TV, and are a clear interference not only amoral but also illegal in with the  independence of the media.
These messages also show a set standard of threatening and pressure towards the media and Albanian journalists by elected officials, such as the Mayor of Tirana.
AMC requests the Mayor of Tirana, Mr. Veliaj, to speak up on the authenticity of these messages, and to come out and apologize publicly, not only to the journalist Njuma, but also to the community of journalists.
AMC urges the responsible bodies of Justice to urgently investigate the authenticity of these messages, which, if true, seriously violate the Constitution of Albania by an elected official, and violate the freedom of speech and expression.

Statement of Albanian Journalists

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.

Albania, libertà di stampa a rischio. Fnsi: «Governo italiano e Ue intervengano»

Comunicato Stampa della Federazione Nazionale della Stampa Italiana

«Il parlamento e il governo dell’Albania si preparano ad assestare il colpo di grazia alla libertà di stampa nel silenzio assordante della comunità internazionale. La prossima settimana comincerà l’iter parlamentare della proposta di legge, fortemente voluta dal governo, che con il pretesto di contrastare il fenomeno delle fake news, permetterà ad un’autorità pubblica di nomina governativa di chiudere e oscurare i siti web di informazione. La Federazione nazionale della Stampa italiana fa sua la denuncia dei colleghi albanesi e invita l’Unione europea e il Consiglio d’Europa, ma anche il governo italiano, che con l’Albania intrattiene solidi rapporti diplomatici e commerciali, ad accendere i riflettori sulle azioni liberticide messe in atto nel Paese delle Aquile ai danni dei giornalisti e degli operatori dei media. In Albania da anni la stampa non viene messa nelle condizioni di seguire gli eventi cui partecipano il premier, il sindaco di Tirana e i loro partiti. Le conferenze stampa sono cadute in disuso e, quando vengono convocate, non viene permesso ai giornalisti di fare domande. È una situazione inaccettabile, che non può lasciare indifferenti le istituzioni e i governi europei. Se è vero che l’Albania è candidata ad entrare nell’Unione europea, è impensabile che i negoziati possano svolgersi soltanto su questioni di natura economico-finanziaria e non essere estesi alla garanzia del rispetto delle libertà e dei diritti fondamentali, a cominciare dalla libertà di espressione e di stampa». Lo afferma, in una nota, Raffaele Lorusso, segretario generale della FNSI e componente del Comitato esecutivo della Federazione internazionale dei giornalisti.

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

* 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