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| Bernd Borchardt |
The OSCE Ambassador to Tirana, Bernd Borchardt in an interview to VOA said that there is a deteriorating situation in the media. By making an overall assessment of the situation, he explains that OSCE resources are firstly: The observation that the organization itself makes to the media and, secondly: of what other prestigious sources say about the media.
"My first impression, according to my limited Albanian knowledge, is based mainly on the information channels, the footage I see and the texts I read on them. I understand that the media scene is very divided. It is difficult to get unbiased information. When I want to create a full view, I have to look at different channels and read different news. Or let's get the report on the protests. Media that is friendly to one party put cameras in such a position to show a large crowd of people. Media that is friendly to the other side uses the drum to show that there are very few people. This reflection is not balanced within the TV channels, it is unilateral, "Ambassador Borchardt said, adding that "another aspect of media deterioratin is that many reports are based on what politics produces, on Facebook, in chronicles of prepared, etc., rather than relying on journalists' own investigations."Borchardt says, "Among the secondary sources we use for the media, of course that Reporters Without Borders are the chief international media judges. Albania has been well positioned in 62nd place, but it was 13 years ago. By 2013, we saw a major deterioration, Albania dropped from 62nd place to 102th place. After 2013, there was a rise again until last year, and now there is a deterioration again. So we had improvement and then worsening."
But what are the main problems? "It's the question of self-censorship. Many journalists tell us that they feel pressured by media owners, that there are interference from the owners. Then there is the problem of violence. In neighboring countries it is much more visible, but it also happens here and it is a very bad thing. We have had some attacks against journalists who have been threatening."
Another aspect, according to the OSCE ambassador, "is about verbal attacks against the media, which to me are exaggerated. On the other hand, I see the anger behind them and this anger comes from defamation and false news. We know what we are talking about, as also we have been object of the defamation. The way out is very narrow, because we walk between two human rights: the right to freedom of speech and the right to protect the dignity. The government has drafted a bill and we are happy that this bill is being consulted with our experts. It would be fantastic if the final product was in line with the best international standards."
He says that among the recommendations that will be made are those related to the decriminalization of the defamation, hence its removal from the Criminal Code. "In our view, the defamation is an issue that belongs to the civilian rather than criminal law. Another recommendation is to limit the use of pre-prepared chronicles, especially during the elections. At least, they must be clearly identified as a product of political parties rather than journalistic products."
Ambassador Borchardt is of the opinion that "the media situation should also be seen in the context of a relentless political climate, which has an impact on the whole situation. We see a deterioration of the situation not only in the media field. I cited earlier the rankings of Albania in the report of Reporters Without Borders. The same is the deterioration in Transparency International's ranking of corruption. After 2013 things improved. Now things are getting worse again, not as bad as in 2013, but there has been a deterioration. We also observed a very significant improvement in the investment climate, but there is still a deterioration here. I think that all these are related to the negative political climate," emphasizes the OSCE ambassador.