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| During the presentation of the study by BIRN regarding media freedom in Albania |
The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and the Global Media Ownership Register (GMR) today published the Media Ownership Monitor in Albania for the year 2023.
The Monitor observed a significant concentration of ownership, followers, and revenues among a few family groups that dominate the media market, VOA reports.
The report evaluates as high-risk indicators the concentration in a few hands of media market, ownership, and media followers, posing risks to political control, media pluralism, and neutrality.
The authors asserted to Voice of America that this significant concentration threatens freedom of expression and democracy as a whole.
According to the Media Ownership Monitor this year in Albania, almost 87 percent of viewership comes from 4 television owners: the Frangaj family with TV Klan, the Hoxha family with TV Top Channel, the Hysenbelliu family with TV NEWS24, and Carlo Bollino with Report TV.
In Albania, there are four national television broadcasters, one public and three private. The public television has 16 regional and thematic television channels. Additionally, there are 37 local television stations and 21 cable channels. However, followers and revenues are concentrated on the four largest television networks.
The report highlights that the majority of media are under the ownership of a handful of powerful families, while the rest are closely tied to businessmen operating in highly regulated markets, such as construction, real estate, information technology, banks, or gambling.
“We found a high political influence on media groups that control the majority of the audience. Virtually all media groups, precisely 98.34 percent, of audiovisual media in Albania have other businesses that receive money from the government through contracts, concessions, or have connections with Albanian political groups. The majority of major online media are part of traditional audiovisual media and broadcast their content,” says Besart Likmeta, the director of this research and the editor-in-chief of BIRN in Albania.
According to the Media Ownership Monitor, Albania has 6 national radio stations; 3 public and 3 private. In the country, there are 52 regional radio stations and 1 public radio, but only 9 percent of Albanians listen to radio programs, even though a considerable part of them is owned by those who own the largest TVs.
“In Albania, media pluralism is influenced. Few people control information and are politically influenced. They receive ready-made materials produced by government propaganda and broadcast them without identifying them as such. On the other hand, independent voices and independent groups, marginalized groups or minorities, find no place to express themselves in the Albanian media space, and this weakens democracy and freedom of expression in the country. Along with pluralism, freedom of expression is also sacrificed,” says Mr. Likmeta.
The report states that online media has developed significantly, with about 82 percent of Albanians using social media to inform themselves every day, with the overwhelming majority using Facebook, and about 70 percent of Albanians using online media every day.
There are 900 news portals registered in the country, and 1.8 million locals are Facebook users.
The latest data shows that social media is surpassing television as the main source of audience selection.
Out of 82 percent of Albanians using social media, 75% of people in Albania use television every day or almost every day, and 13% at least once a week.
Research by BIRN and GMR raises concerns about narrowing media pluralism, concentration of media in few hands, and political interests influencing their editorial policies.
“What caught my attention is that out of 12 risk indicators for media pluralism and the health of the media environment, 8 of them were red, with very high risk, and 4 were with an average risk. This shows a difficult and very challenging situation for media freedom and freedom of expression, as well as for the work of independent and quality journalists in Albania. There is a symbiotic relationship between media owners and business and politics and how the media is used and is being used to push forward certain economic, financial, and political interests,” says Blerjana Bino, the director of the SCIDEV Center and representative of the organization “Safejournalists”.
There are eight daily newspapers in the market, including a sports newspaper, a weekly business magazine, and several monthly magazines.
There is no official data on their circulations, but it is a matter of several thousand copies sold every day.
More than 71 percent of the print media audience is owned by two owners, according to the report; about half of them are covered by the Focus Group with publishers of daily newspapers Panorama, Panorama Sport, and Gazeta Shqiptare.
Only 4 percent of the population uses print media as a source of information every day.
“Transparency about media ownership is essential for media freedom. This is the main part of information that is related to editorial independence, as well as the accuracy of data in the news. Support for such projects helps strengthen media freedom and the fight against disinformation, during the European integration process. Press freedom plays a key role in the EU enlargement process, and all countries aspiring to membership must demonstrate commitments to ensuring freedom of expression,” said the new European Union Ambassador to Albania, Silvio Gonzato.
BIRN's report also mentions attacks on the media, such as the killing of the guard of TV Top Channel with a firearm, further physical violence against journalists of the Fiks Fare program, and against journalist Elvis Hila and his wife.
The Media Ownership Monitor for Albania speaks of a doubling of incidents against journalists this year compared to a year ago, including verbal attacks, threats, and intimidations, among which is listed the attack by the mayor Erjon Veliaj against journalist Ola Xama, as well as the ban by Prime Minister Rama of journalists Ambrozia Meta and Klevin Mukaj to attend press conferences, as well as direct and indirect pressures on some media.
The Media Ownership Monitor goes in line with other international reports on the difficulties of Albanian journalists. According to a report by the organization “Reporters Without Borders,” Albanian media are influenced by economic and political interests of owners, appointments in public media and regulators are politicized, while journalists critical of the government are subjected to political attacks and smear campaigns.