Media pluralism? The last in Europe. The report is published: Freedom of the media in Albania, at high risk

The annual report on media pluralism by the Center for Pluralism and Media Freedom, CMPF, at the European University Institute in Florence for 2023 places Albania on the list of countries with a 'high risk' media.

The report notes that they remained largely unchanged from last year, but the media pluralism indicator worsened significantly.

Based on the data made public by CMPF, Albania is one of the countries with the most difficult situation in the region and in some indicators such as that of the pluralism of the media space, it ranks last in Europe with a risk rate of 92 per cent. The country does not perform well in terms of media independence from politics either, leaving only three countries behind in this indicator: Turkey, Hungary and Serbia.

The report also points out the lack of security for journalists. "Physical safety of journalists is not always guaranteed, working conditions remain poor, while media authority is not independent from political influence," the report states.

The reporters have listed a long list of recommendations for Albania where changes are required that would affect the improvement of the situation. The recommendations include calls for greater gender equality in media management, more space for minorities and the establishment of self-regulatory mechanisms to "combat gender-based hate speech".

The report recommends a ban on the use of material produced by political parties or state authorities in news and information programs as well as stronger regulatory measures, "to make the holding of government posts incompatible with media ownership".

The rapporteurs also recommend a series of measures on the transparency of media ownership and measures to protect journalists or editors from unfair dismissals and a clear separation between their role and that of the advertiser.

The report in question has been compiled for the 27 member countries of the European Union and the 5 candidate countries, including Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey and North Macedonia. It is an annual report funded by the European Union and is in its 10th year of publication./ BIRN