In early 2024, the socialist majority initiated procedures to establish a parliamentary commission, which has raised concerns among media organizations and the journalist community.
The Socialists in their initiative took advantage of the adoption of a resolution by the European Parliament on February 8, 2024, and the establishment of a similar committee to combat disinformation and foreign interference in the European Commission. Part of the Socialists’ arguments for the establishment of the committee was an intergovernmental agreement between Albania and the US that has not been made public.
However, this majority initiative did not receive the support of the opposition.
7 Democratic Party deputies voted against, while 56 others present in the hall did not participate in the vote, subsequently refusing to sit at the working table that has been led for 4 months by socialist Erion Braçe.
The Special Committee on Disinformation is expected to draft a report on June 25, 2025, with proposals for institutional measures and legal changes that will be forwarded to the Parliament of Albania.
The commission’s work has raised doubts among experts and media organizations, who see the initiative as an attempt by the majority to control free speech, in parallel with the fight against the malicious influence of foreign countries, mainly from Russia, and consequently would increase censorship in the media.
Shadow of Doubt over “Disinformation”
On April 11 of this year, the Albanian Parliament approved, with only 73 votes from the socialists, the establishment of a Special Parliamentary Commission, whose mission was to coordinate and oversee all institutional actions to combat disinformation and other forms of foreign interference in the country’s democratic processes, which was later “christened” as the “Disinformation” Commission.
The Albanian Media Council reacted to the parliamentary initiative of the ruling majority, stating that the powers of this commission raised questions about the true purpose of its creation. The Albanian Media Council saw the Commission as an attempt by the majority to increase control over the media.
“A Commission that is established not to investigate something that “has happened”, but to investigate something that “will happen” within a year of its creation, creates strong suspicions that it could be used to violate media freedom, under the guise of investigations into disinformation” – said the statement of the Albanian Media Council made public on April 4, a few days before its approval in parliament.
The Council, more than disinformation, sees as worrying for media freedom the occult connections of politicians, parties and government officials with media owners, the lack of transparency of funds, as well as propaganda.
“Albania has much bigger problems that violate media freedom, which need urgent intervention, such as the occult connections of politicians, parties and government officials with media owners, the lack of transparency of state funds that go to the media, the non-application of the law on the right to information, etc. Disinformation, given its importance to the Albanian public, can be resolved once these major problems are resolved,” the statement said.
The Media Council was not the only organization that was concerned about the parliamentary initiative of the social majority.
Even the international network “Safejornalist”, which constantly monitors the media landscape in Albania, expressed concerns about further implications of the commission on media freedom.
“The urgency in forming the commission, the lack of a consultative process with stakeholders, the lack of consensus from the opposition, and the quick approval on April 3, 2024, at the Conference of Speakers of the Albanian Parliament, raises concerns regarding the purpose and objectives of the commission,” the open letter to the then Speaker of the Parliament Lindita Nikollas read.
Democratic Party MP Flutura Açka was also critical. “It will be a reason to perhaps control the media more in Albania, but also to neglect the work of some other important institutions that cover these fields. Who guarantees us that there will not be another Constitutional change in view of the upcoming elections,” said MP Açka.
The claims of the media organizations were refuted on the first day of the Commission’s work, on June 26. “I want to emphasize that this commission does not aim to persecute individuals, organizations, or free speech, but will recognize, collect data, analyze findings … in order to respond in an organized manner to an organized war of unfriendly states and their malicious intentions,” declared Erion Braçe.
Concerned about online media
17 public institutions directly related to the scope of the Disinformation Commission began work to analyze and identify the issues they face regarding the risk arising from deliberate disinformation, or even malicious interventions aimed at destabilizing and undermining the country’s security by third parties.
The hearings with the institutions were opened by the Minister of Defense Pirro Vëngu, who requested legal changes regarding the issue of disinformation. “We have all the instruments for identifying disinformation sources or coordinating with our partners. This dictates the immediate need to find some legal and technical steps, which I believe this commission will give us the opportunity to build.” – said Vëngu.
With a more radical stance during Minister Vëngu’s reporting, was the socialist MP Mimi Kodheli, a member of this commission. Kodheli demanded that there be an immediate, institutional and written reaction to the statements made in television shows. Taking advantage of the statement of a show, which she did not mention, the former Ministry of Defense demanded that each institution create their own specific files, for every case that they were labeled according to her, wrongly by the media.
“I have often heard journalists say that we are not capable as the Armed Forces … and they say it a priori. This is dangerous, frightening disinformation. Because a journalist who hosts a show with high viewership, with the height of irresponsibility … puts an epithet and a stigma on the best forces that serve the security of the country and beyond. This disinformation that comes from within must have its own “file-in” … have a core that has a serious written and verifiable response to every issue that smears the Ministry of Interior or the Armed Forces,” said Kodheli.
Fact-checking, mainly of online media, was also requested by the Chairman of the Disinformation Commission, Erion Braçe, in a hearing with the head of the Audiovisual Media Authority, Armela Krasniqi, but the latter said that it is not within the jurisdiction of the AMA.
“Portals are not within our scope of action. Video distribution platforms are content produced by ordinary users, they have no editorial responsibility. And this is where the whole legal problem begins. We are not the authority that separates truth from lies,” Krasniqi declared.
In another hearing, on October 23, the concern about disinformation through online media was also raised by the head of the National Cyber Security Authority, Igli Tafa.
“For portals, there is a gap in cases when we encounter disinformation. The only thing we do is issue an official statement, and go to the media to clarify the situation and inform the public. There is no mechanism to penalize or prevent this, since portals are completely independent, they give what they want to give. The reason is very simple, because there is no regulator of portals to impose a dictatorship, in quotes, to maintain stability,” he explained.
But for the chairman of the commission, Erion Braçe, what is worrying about online media, in addition to disinformation, is their functioning in complete informality.
“We want to know who is registered and who is not. Are online media registered for taxes or not? Because I see commercial activity on their pages, how do these operate?” – Erion Braçe addressed the Director General of Taxes, Ilir Binaj, during his report to the committee on November 6.
Brace asked the DPT and the National Business Center, which reported to the committee on the same day, to compile a list of all portals and online media, registered or not, with the aim of formalizing the online media market.
“Online media in this country operates in a totally illegal, unregistered and almost open terrain to news that constitutes pure disinformation and has serious consequences for the country’s strategic sectors and even for the country’s interests. These are the two problems we have encountered so far. The flow of malicious information in this country continues and grows, we are even before the elections,” said Erion Braçe.
Violation of freedom
Koloreto Cukali, head of the Albanian Media Council, is fully convinced that disinformation is fought through media education and not through parliamentary initiatives that raise more concerns about the violation of media freedom.
“This commission was established to violate media freedom and time and again it returns to that, such as the request to create a list of registered portals, because it is not necessary for the purpose of this commission,” says Koloreto Cukali.
According to him, propaganda is the biggest problem found in the media in the country.
“Albania has a very big problem with propaganda more than with disinformation. Disinformation at the information level comes from the Municipality of Tirana and the government, which are the biggest disinformers and have elevated disinformation to the level of propaganda. This is propaganda and I don’t see anyone in that commission worrying about propaganda, which is disinformation at a higher level,” explains Cukali.
Meanwhile, for the president of the Union of Journalists, Aleksandër Çipa, the concern about disinformation through portals is real, but cannot be generalized.
“The listing and registration of online media should be a natural process that cannot and should not violate any component of media freedom and public expression,” says Çipa.
But international institutions seem to be primarily concerned with disinformation coming from foreign interference, a major concern in many countries, and according to them, Albania is not immune.
“The OSCE presence in Albania supports plans to prevent the further deterioration of this problem, including the establishment of a special commission. It is essential that the special parliamentary commission functions in an open, inclusive and transparent manner, with the active participation of all political actors, including the opposition.” – says a statement that “shteg.org” received from the OSCE press office in Albania.
In addition to support, the OSCE urges that the fight against disinformation not lead to unnecessary restrictions on media freedom.
“It is vital that media professionals, experts and civil society organizations are consulted throughout this process, to ensure that any proposed action or regulation is well-informed and does not stifle public debate or limit the role of independent journalism. The ultimate goal should be to promote transparency, protect media freedom, support ethical journalism and preserve a healthy democratic environment,” the OSCE statement concludes.
And while international institutions call for steps to be taken to guarantee media freedom in the country, recent reports show that Albania has made no progress at all in terms of freedom of expression and the media.
EU Ambassador Silvio Gonzato, as he personally delivered the progress report to Prime Minister Rama, spoke with concern about freedom of expression and the overlapping interests of the media, business, and politics.
“Another important area is freedom of expression and unfortunately the commission does not see any progress in this area and regarding long-term issues that have been of concern, especially the overlap of media, business and political interests and the problematic working conditions of journalists. I hope that the opening of the first group of chapters of the negotiations will be a good opportunity for the Albanian authorities to implement these reforms”, – he declared.
Even more worrying was the report by the international organization “Reporters Without Borders”, which publishes the world press freedom index on May 3 of each year.
In this report, for the year 2023 our country is ranked second to last in Europe, leaving behind only Turkey. Albania was ranked 99th from 96th a year earlier (2022), deteriorating by 3 places.
Even the annual report on media pluralism by the Center for Media Pluralism and Freedom, CMPF, at the European University Institute in Florence for 2023 places Albania on the list of countries at ‘high risk’ regarding the media situation.
The report is compiled for the 27 member states of the European Union and 5 candidate countries, including Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey and North Macedonia.
“The physical safety of journalists is not always guaranteed, working conditions remain poor, and the authority of the media is not independent of political influence. Employment and income trends across different media sectors are generally negative or stationary, while political and economic influence by media owners undermines the possibility of balanced and independent reporting,” the report says.
Raziela Myslimaj është gazetare në televizionin Report TV, ku mbulon zhvillimet dhe aktualitetin politik në vend.
Më herët ka punuar në televizionin Euronews Albania dhe MCN TV ku është angazhuar jo vetëm në trajtimin e temave politike, por edhe në çështje sociale.
Ka mbaruar studimet për Gazetari dhe Komunikim në Universitetin e Tiranës.