Threats against media outlets and organizations, CNA, 28.06.2024, Tirana

Tirana •︎ 28/06/2024

Threats against media outlets and organizations, CNA, 28.06.2024, Tirana

Translations: Tirana 

  • Case info

  • Personal info

  • Regional center
    Tirana
  • Who was attacked?
    Organization

  • Media outlet

  • Name of the media outlet
    CNA
  • Type of media platform
    Online Media
  • Source of information about the incident
    https://www.mapmf.org/alert/31846

  • Incident Data

  • Date of incident
    28.06.2024
  • City
    Tirana
  • Perpetrator(s)
    Not known
  • Attacked by
    Organized groups
  • 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?
    Yes

On 28 June 2024, the media outlet CNA Albania reported that its YouTube channel had been blocked by the company Acromax Media, the official representative of the YouTube company in Albania, for violating “copyrights”. “For weeks, CNA has been facing an unprecedented attack by Aldor Nini (founder) of Acromax to block our social networks. It started with the blocking of materials on Facebook and Instagram, followed by a fierce campaign to report videos on YouTube,” CNA Albania wrote on its news portal. CNA has more than 13,000 videos on its YouTube channel, with tens of thousands of views from citizens around the world. According to CNA, the nine YouTube videos challenged by Acromax Media for “copyright infringement” reported on the affairs of the mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, including his alleged involvement in the disposal of public waste in Tirana through incinerators, as revealed by BIRN’s document-based investigation. On 15 June 2024, CNA Albania published an article denouncing Acromax Media for helping the Albanian government to “restrict freedom of the press and freedom of speech”, including by protecting Erion Veliaj from controversial news. In its article, the news agency revealed that two German media, netzpolitik.org, and ARD FAKT, reported 4 years ago, in March 2020, that Aldor Nini’s company Acromax had also “deleted critical news about the head of the municipality of Tirana, Erion Veliaj”. The content is always removed from the Meta platform (Facebook, Instagram) at the request of Acromax, which claims copyright infringement.

Source: https://www.mapmf.org/alert/31846