We are not in the conditions of the misuse of journalism, but in the conditions of the misuse of the state

The Police Surveillance Agency is one of the three secret services of Albania, alongside the State Intelligence Service and that of the Army. So in a way it is the secret service of the police.

Two officials of this service used the data they own because of the duty to denigrate and blackmail high officials of the state police through anonymous portals.

The debate about the arrest of a media worker, who served to post these news, has nothing to do with journalism. This is not a case where he is abusing journalism. He is not working as a journalist, but as a copywriter.

The most serious problem here is how state structures use their office to blackmail their superiors or colleagues. So we are not in the conditions of misuse of journalism, but in the conditions of misuse of the state.

I don't know what that media worker needed for these two secret service officials that they could have done such a trivial job themselves, but they were just lazy and paid an extra salary.

The concern of some media organizations about the transparency of the detention of this media worker is in principle valid, but in reality that is not the problem.

The problem is that in Albania there is still no law that regulates the legal functioning of what they now call portals, and which in fact, as proven, are mechanisms of either organized crime or corrupt officials who use them for war against each other . Labeling those who work in this racketeering industry as journalists is an insult to journalism. They are wage workers who do online services, like someone who sells goods online, but they have nothing to do with journalism. According to the evidence, the case in question even admitted that it was clear that he was doing a wrong job, but he needed money. Like contract killers.

It is for this reason that Albania is in dire need of a law that registers portals that deal with journalism and certifies them as media with public purposes.

The staff, the owner, the objectives of the media in question should be published there. Everything else is online commerce and should not be confused with journalism. There are marketing portals, portals that sell panties or shirts, others that advertise hotels, etc., but they are not related to journalism.

Journalism makes the difference by the product, not by the means of where or how it is broadcast.

Journalistic products used to be broadcast through printed newspapers, or through antennas, and now through the Internet, but they have nothing to do with anything that is broadcast over the Internet.

The difference between journalism and other online goods is that journalism has a public mission, and writes for the public interest. Even when there are attacks on politicians or high officials, it is in the interest of the public. Anything else is a criminal offence.

Confusing any online broadcast called a portal with the journalism that is now forced to be broadcast online is like confusing Larry King with the winner of the Bib Brother, since they both appear on television.

This serious deficiency in the Albanian legislation has damaged the traditional press, and has undermined the 30 years of experience of many press personalities in Albania who have lived as journalists in this country and now have to be relativized as portal employees.

The fact that anyone, be it a criminal, like those of Sky, or a secret service official, thinks of using anonymous portals for mafia blackmail, clearly shows what an abyss the lack of law for portals has created in Albania, which the government, every time starts to do it, adds some dirt, so that it is not accepted by the internationals and then says "he ate the head". Same as for gangs.

And in fact, journalism is degrading into a war of gangs, where you understand very well which journalist is with which gang, just as it was understood years ago which journalist is with which party, or as you understand today when you look at the government of Edi Rama and understand who in power pays who portal. And this does not only show where journalism is going, but where the Albanian state and society is going.