DREAM / The Prime Minister resigns and wakes up under the Parisian bridge!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

"Media concentrated in the hands of a few people", the report: Albania marks a high risk in media pluralism

2022-07-08 20:54:58Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"Media concentrated in the hands of a few people", the report: Albania
Albania marks a high risk in media pluralism

During 2021, Albania again marked a high risk in the field of media pluralism, according to the latest report of the Center for Media Pluralism and Freedom (CMPF).

This risk ranged from medium to high in several key indicators of media pluralism.

Albania showed a high level of risk in terms of Market Plurality (87%) and Political Independence (69%).

As for social inclusion, there was an average risk of 64%.

"Although Albania's legal framework provides safeguards for the protection of freedom of expression and freedom of the media, in practice, these freedoms are limited by the political and economic interests of media owners, the concentration of market share and audiences in the hands of a few powerful people ", you said in the report.

The report also cites SLAPP lawsuits against critical journalists as a means of undermining freedom of expression, as well as lax enforcement of labor rights legislation.

"Widespread self-censorship and unnecessary political interference in the independence of the media regulator", are other problems that the report brings to attention regarding media freedom.

During 2021, the media regulator's impartiality worsened with the appointment of the former government spokesperson as head of the Audiovisual Media Authority.

The establishment of the Information Media Agency raised concerns during 2021 about a further concentration of information leakage.

According to reports published by the Platform of the Council of Europe for the Protection of Journalists, in 2021 there were 7 physical attacks, harassment and other attacks against journalists, thus affecting media freedom.

"The right to information and the protection of journalists"

The report estimates that the area with the worst score for media freedom in Albania in 2021 is the group of Market Plurality indicators.

"Although this area improved a few percentage points compared to 2020, it still receives a high risk score (87%)," the report states.

This happened due to the lack of transparency in media ownership, the lack of enforcement of competition and the lack of sustainability of the media, as well as the influence of the political and economic interests of the media owners.

Although Article 22 of the Constitution of Albania and the European Convention on Human Rights recognize fundamental rights for the protection of freedom of expression (57%) and limitations are clearly defined in the legal framework, these rights are not always respected, the report assesses.

The indicator for the Protection of the right to information is assessed as medium risk (52%) in 2021.

The second worst indicator in this area is the journalism profession, standards and protection with a rating of 66%.

According to the National Barometer of Media Freedom in Albania (Albanian Helsinki Committee, 2021), 30.2% of journalists report that they do not have a regular employment contract with their employers.

The indicator of independence and effectiveness of the media authority was estimated at 42% in 2021.

"Plurality of the high-risk market"

 

"Media concentrated in the hands of a few people", the report: Albania

The plurality of the market in Albania, in this report, has shown a high risk with 87%.

This risk comes as a result of the lack of transparency, the concentration of media ownership, the stability of the media and the exposure of journalists to commercial interests.

Transparency of media ownership was rated at 81%, showing no improvement from 2020.

The news media concentration indicator also scored high risk at 89%.

The indicator for the concentration of online platforms and the implementation of competition gave a result of 97%.

 

The media sustainability indicator receives a score of 78% and is rated high risk.

The indicator of commercial influence and ownership of editorial content earns a score of 90% and is rated high risk.

"Political independence in the Albanian media"

"Media concentrated in the hands of a few people", the report: Albania

Political independence changed in 2021 from medium to high risk (69%), compared to the previous year when it recorded a score of 64%.

"This increase in ranking is mainly due to two main indicators, the lack of editorial autonomy and the lack of media independence from politics," the report states.

The indicator of Political Independence of the media received a score of 85% and was rated as high risk. This indicator deteriorated in the ranking compared to 2020, when it was recorded at 79%.

The report states that political control over audiovisual media in Albania is high.

"There is no known case of direct ownership of audiovisual media by politicians or their family members", but political control is exercised through the business interests of media owners in various sectors, such as construction or mining.

The editorial autonomy indicator receives a score of 97% and is rated as high risk, registering an increase of nine percentage points from the previous rating.

The indicator for audiovisual media, online platforms and elections earns a score of 57% and is rated as medium risk.

Likewise, the state regulation of resources and support for the media sector was assessed as medium risk with 58%.

"Social involvement in the media"

"Media concentrated in the hands of a few people", the report: Albania

Social media involvement scored an average risk of 64%.

Access to the media by minorities was assessed at 63% with a medium risk and marked a deterioration compared to the previous year. Media access of local communities was estimated at 31%.

Meanwhile, the highest percentage of risk was marked by women's access to the media, with 90%.

In 2021, only two of the nine members of PSM's Board of Directors were women, while all five top managers were men.

In addition, out of six board members of the two main commercial television stations there is no woman.

All the chief editors of the most important audiovisual media, radio, newspapers and local digital media in Albania are men.

A recent study showed that in TV shows, about 73% of the guests are men, while only 27% of them are women.

"The exception is sports shows, where women are mostly seen in the third role, as sexual objects," says the report.

"The indicator of "media education" has a result of 67% and is assessed as high risk.

"Pluralism in online media"

The assessment of Online Media Pluralism in Albania ranges from medium to high risk. All four areas are marked with a higher risk in the online sphere compared to all media.

Basic Protection received an average risk rating of 65%.

"No specific law explicitly regulates the filtering and blocking of illegal Internet content, however, provisions of some laws regulate illegal Internet content," the report said.

Market plurality in online media scored a high risk with 88%.

"In Albania, there is no law requiring the disclosure of media ownership to public bodies for digital news media, and the activity of digital news media is not regulated," the report states.

But even though Albania has adopted the Law on Beneficial Ownership (owners with up to 20% of shares) for all companies registered in the National Business Center, "it is difficult to identify the owners who own digital media, as they may be part and the biggest companies".

Political independence in online media scored a high risk with 97%. Social inclusion also scored a high risk at 84%.

According to Eurostat (2020), in 2019, 21% of the population of Albania has basic or above general digital skills, while 47% of the population has low general digital skills. / Citizens Channel

Galeria fotografike (
)


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×