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

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.

“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 a series of online articles on the Prapaskena portal with “anonymous, unsigned articles”.