Threats against media and media organizations, KMSH OBTC, SCiDEV, Blerjana Bino, Tirana, 07.10.2024

Tirana •︎ 07/10/2024

Threats against media and media organizations, KMSH OBTC, SCiDEV, Blerjana Bino, Tirana, 07.10.2024

Translations: Tirana 

  • Case info

  • Personal info

  • Regional center
    Tirana
  • Who was attacked?
    Group
  • Group members' names and surnames
    KMSH, SCiDEV, OBTC, Blerjana Bino

  • Media outlet

  • Type of media platform
    Online Media
  • Source of information about the incident
    https://www.mapmf.org/alert/32191

  • Incident Data

  • Date of incident
    07.10.2024
  • City
    Tirana
  • Perpetrator(s)
    Not known
  • Means of incidents and attacks
    Through media outlets (broadcast, print, online)
  • Type of incident
    Threats against media outlets and organizations
  • Type of threat
    Aggressive, harassing or discriminatory statements

  • Action by the authorities

  • Action taken by the journalists' association

  • Was journalist's association informed by the journalists directly?
    Unknown

On 6 October 2024, “Prapaskena“, one of the online tabloids in Albania, discredited Blerjana Bino, head of the Centre for Science and Innovation for Development (SciDev) and an activist for freedom of expression and journalists in Albania and the Balkans. She was accused of producing a one-sided report on media freedom that was biased in favor of former Albanian Prime Minister Berisha.

The attack was triggered by the publication of a report entitled “Media Freedom in Albania: a Shadow Report”, published by SciDev and Osservatorio Balkani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) – a member of the MFRR consortium, on 25 July.

This report focused on the third section of the Commission’s 2024 Rule of Law Report, dedicated to media freedom and pluralism, to provide an updated analysis of the Albanian media landscape, including remaining and emerging challenges. OBCT and SciDev were about to present the main findings of the report on 7 October when they were discredited by the portal the day before: “Two phantom centers, which ‘shave’ European Union funds for civil society with copy-past and partisan reports, have published the next clientelist and one-sided report on media freedom and the unsafe climate for journalists in Albania,” read the open line of the article. “Behind the Center for Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) is the ‘spider’ of associations and funds for civil society, Blerjana Bino, director of Research and Development at the University of Naim Çili,” added the article, before claiming that none of “Berisha’s attacks on journalists” were mentioned in the report. The picture of Blerjana Bino was used to illustrate the defamatory article.

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In addition, the Media Ethics Council of Albania (KSHM) was discredited by the online portal prapakena.com, which published an article entitled “The Media Council of Koloreto Cukali or Berisha’s back pocket that ‘shaves’ EU funds, pseudo-journalists with villas and former MPs who are getting rich at the expense of journalists”. In the article, KSHM is allegedly accused of serving the interests of “corrupt former officials”, including former Prime Minister Sali Berisha ”in the name of the media and journalists”. “The director of the Media Council is Koloreto Cukali, who gives lectures in television bars of journalism, but does not make transparency about the source of the Council’s revenues as well as the expenditure of funds,” read the article among other discrediting comments. According to KSHM, the attack was triggered after KSHM expressed its concern about the repeated online attacks on social networks against CNA media, with which the Prapaskena.com portal appears to be in conflict.

KSHM strongly condemned the smear campaign in a statement. “The title itself is abusive and untrue, and pure slander. In the article, no fact proves the ‘abuse of EU funds’, the connections of ‘KSHM with Berisha’, or ‘enrichment at the expense of journalists’. The article does not prove and can never prove any connection between the activity of KSHM and the wealth of any journalist, because such connections do not exist,” wrote KSHM in a statement. On 4 October, KSHM also found itself smeared by online portal Sot.com.al, in reaction to the Board of the Council of Media Ethics of Albania, which suggested that the portal delete an article that violated the code of ethics.

“Recently, the Center for Science and Innovation for Development and its leader, Blerjana Bino, as well as the Albanian Media Council with director Koloreto Cukali are facing an unprecedented attack from online portals,” wrote the Association of Journalists of Albania (AGSH). The SafeJournalists network also expressed full support to Blerjana Bino and media organizations who are constantly attacked through online articles on the Prapaskena portal with “anonymous, unsigned articles”.

SafeJournalists Network and the Media Freedom Rapid Response issued a statement condemning the coordinated attacks, “which aim to discredit ethical journalism and undermine the work of independent organizations and researchers in protecting media freedom and journalist safety in Albania.”

Other sources:

https://www.mapmf.org/alert/32191