In Tirana, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and the SCIDEV Center have recently published the 2024 Annual Report on media freedom and journalist safety. The report outlines numerous obstacles that, according to its authors, threaten the independence, security, integrity, and professionalism of journalism in Albania.
Over the past year, 45 incidents against journalists were recorded, increasing insecurity and self-censorship among media professionals. Independent observers note that judicial authorities are slow to protect threatened journalists, discouraging them from reporting incidents and emboldening aggressors to escalate their actions.
Persistent Challenges in Media Freedom
The annual report, prepared by BIRN and SCIDEV, evaluates Albania’s progress in media freedom and journalist safety according to EU standards. It states that "the situation of media freedom and journalist security has not seen any significant improvement in 2024."
According to the report, "Albania faces major challenges, such as political interference, the concentration of media ownership in a few hands, and economic difficulties that compromise journalistic integrity."
Blerjana Bino, co-author of the study and head of the SCIDEV Center, told Voice of America: "More than 45% of journalists report feeling threatened, pressured, or intimidated. The main sources of these pressures are media owners, public officials, political actors, and other private individuals linked to powerful interests."
A Rise in Threats and Legal Pressures
The report highlights that journalists in Albania increasingly face threats and pressures, not so much in the form of physical attacks, but through lawsuits, online harassment, and intimidation tactics that foster self-censorship and insecurity.
Threats against journalists originate from both state and non-state actors, creating a constant atmosphere of intimidation and defamation campaigns that hinder press freedom protection. The 45 reported incidents in 2024 nearly double the 24 cases reported in 2023. According to the Safe Journalists Network, these incidents were primarily "verbal attacks and anti-media rhetoric from political actors across the spectrum."
Legal System’s Slow Response and Journalists’ Awareness
Attorney Dorian Matlija, head of the Respublica Center, which focuses on journalist protection, emphasized: "Attacks on journalists have increased, but so have reactions. Courts are slow, but journalists are more aware and actively pursuing legal procedures. However, there remains significant distrust in law enforcement institutions. If institutions acted more swiftly and transparently, it would discourage threats against journalists."
The annual report includes a survey of journalists, revealing that most of them reported threats to the police rather than the prosecution. However, many found the responses from law enforcement agencies highly ineffective. Over three-quarters of surveyed journalists feel unsafe and believe stronger legal protections would enhance their security. A majority expressed that stricter enforcement of laws and harsher penalties for threats and attacks would improve their safety.
Institutional Efforts and Gender-Based Threats
State Police representatives claim they are committed to improving journalist security. Gentian Mullai stated, "The State Police prioritizes journalist safety, considering them allies in exposing and combating legal violations. A dedicated officer handles journalist complaints, and police directorates nationwide are instructed to assist journalists in the field."
The report also highlights gender-based threats against female journalists, with over 20% of women in the field reporting intimidation related to their work. Many journalists believe that stronger political will is needed to protect press freedom. More than two-thirds of respondents stated they have faced restrictions in their work due to fears of retaliation or censorship, often influenced by business interests and media owners' editorial control, which hampers investigative journalism and reporting integrity.
Most Challenging Topics for Reporting
The report identifies corruption, organized crime, corporate misconduct, and economic abuses as the most difficult topics for journalists to cover due to external pressures.
"The number of reported incidents has doubled, partly due to better monitoring and increased awareness among journalists that they should not normalize any form of attack, intimidation, or threat," stated Bino. "We continuously call for zero tolerance towards any pressure or attack on journalists."
Albania’s Press Freedom Ranking
The 2024 Annual Report describes a "complex and difficult environment for media freedom and journalist safety in Albania, with no significant progress, while the implementation of EU recommendations remains limited."
The report underscores that journalists endure precarious working conditions, low salaries, delayed and informal payments, and a lack of protective measures in their profession. This situation, the authors stress, fosters self-censorship in media professionals facing external pressures, ultimately harming their independence and the quality of their work.
Albania ranked 99th out of 180 countries in the 2023 World Press Freedom Index, marking a three-place decline from the previous year and highlighting the ongoing challenges for media freedom and journalist safety in the country.