The Academy of Information Integrity, supported by NDI Kosovo and USAID Kosovo, held a discussion today on the topic “Financial sustainability of local media”.
The panel comprised Fatmir Menekshe from Radio Romano Avazo, Urall Boshnjaku from Mitropol, and Floranda Morina, a board member of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo. The session was moderated by Xhemajl Rexha.
Among the challenges faced by local media in Kosovo discussed during the session were operating without compensation and ensuring timely salaries for journalists. Menekshe highlighted the difficulties in achieving financial stability and advertising revenue, particularly for media serving the Roma community in Kosovo.
Boshnjaku emphasized the importance of being quoted by central media outlets to enhance visibility and stressed the need for copyright respect.
Morina suggested creating mechanisms to facilitate license payments for local and non-community media to address the imbalance in advertising support compared to national media. Additionally, concerns were raised about the potential obstacles posed by the draft law proposed by the Government of Kosovo for the Independent Media Commission.
The discussion aimed to explore ways to strengthen and support local media, ensuring they have the resources to represent the diversity and needs of all communities in Kosovo effectively.
