Fake news in Albania, concern for media credibility

Over the years, the fake news has had quite a few consequences in dealing with the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic and most recently the one that followed the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The community of journalists promotes self-regulation of the media in order to increase the quality of information in the service of citizens and the truth.

Albania has lost 20 places in the World Media Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders for 2021. It is ranked 103rd out of 180 countries, returning 9 years later, when it had almost the same position . According to analysts, one of the problems of the media today is related to the credibility, often compromised according to them, even by the publication of false news. Over the past two years, the crises caused by the 2019 earthquake, the coronavirus pandemic, and now the war that followed the Russian aggression in Ukraine, have been accompanied by false news which has hurt citizens, businesses and governments in their management. Not long ago, news of the risk of supply disruptions from Russia and Ukraine spread rapidly around the world. They gained importance in conditions when these countries are important in the cultivation of wheat, sunflower oil, corn and the production of fuels. Such news also affects Albania. The head of the Agri-Food Trade Union told VOA that these were not true, and that panic among citizens who rushed to supply themselves in the markets was fueled by the media through comments and analyzes that were not based on facts. According to him, businesses were badly damaged.

“Our industry was in trouble because we had to produce beyond our capacity. Shelves were emptied in the markets. Maybe this fakenews was because the journalists themselves were scared. The damage is enormous because these are elements of national security. We have felt a lot of difficulty, at least those first 15 days after the start of the war in Ukraine. They later calmed down. What we were saying was a real thing. We had contracts on hand that we could make in France, Romania, Hungary and Serbia. “The only thing we explained to people was that there would be a price increase and that happened.” told The Voice of America Theodhor Kristuli, President of the Agri-Food Trade Union.

Rapid developments in information technology, observers in the field of media note, along with the best in terms of information, in many cases have brought damage with serious consequences. The head of Faktoje.al, Klodiana Kapo, says that even during the coronavirus pandemic, false news were spread in the media and online portals about the treatment protocol, the effect of vaccines, as well as various conspiracy theories. According to her, they led to wrong medications or hesitations of citizens in the vaccination process. In some cases, the officials themselves were the object of spreading untrue news.

“False news was spread by the prime minister, during the isolation from the pavilion of Kovid 19. He posted on his Facebook page, a video, this appeared the police exercising violence against some citizens in the streets, who were thought to have violated the rules. The Spanish Embassy denied this news, while after the verification of Faktoje.al, the result was that that video was shot some time ago in Algeria. “The prime minister reacted after that, saying that he too could fall prey to false news.” Klodiana Kapo, head of “Faktoje.al” spoke for the Voice of America

The Union of Albanian Journalists notes that in addition to false news, deliberate misinformation has damaged the credibility of the media and the public. The president of this union, Aleksandër Çipa, told VOA that some public institutions have shown shortcomings in information during this time, mainly in cases of accountability. He sees this as deliberate misinformation.

“In most cases in Albania, the position of misinformer has been the public administration and mainly the one that should be accountable for finances, financial costs and tendering procedures and those related to public funds”, affirmed for VOA Aleksandër Çipa, president of the Union of Albanian Journalists.

In Albania, according to experts, fake news is mostly found in the online media. A news item is distributed, from one portal to another without any verification, they say exposing the reader more and more to the untruth.

“We lack the addition of verification and control of facts. We are no longer an information tradition society. We are more or less gossip society. Here opinions are not built on facts. More control and less propaganda is needed. Because propaganda on the one hand, as seen by government officials, but also misinformation in some cases by the opposition lead water in the same mill. In the mill of fakenews “, told VOA’s Lutfi Dervishi, a journalist.

According to the Union of Albanian Journalists in Albania, there is a concern about the high number of anonymous portals, which do not have an author and address.

“Only 100 of the 740 online portals are administered by professionals in the field, or have editorial structures. The rest in most cases appear anonymous. They are often generators of misinformation about lynching and bullying of public figures. “As long as they do not have authorship, it is difficult to follow them for confrontations with the truth”, said Aleksandër Çipa, president of the Union of Albanian Journalists.

Journalist Lutfi Dervishi suggests more caution from the media itself, and the promotion of self-regulation through some concrete steps, in order to minimize the dissemination of false news, as well as blackmailing news or intentional misinformation. He thinks that the thirst for more clicks does not help the journalist’s mission of fair and impartial information.

“The community of journalists itself must establish certain rules, in the sense of anonymity, in the sense of the right to reply in the sense of an address. If someone has something and thinks that his dignity or private life is being violated, he should know where to address, other than the court. Bad journalism leads you to court. But before you go to court, can you address this story quickly? “There are very good practices in European legislation for this.” said Lutfi Dervishi, journalist.

The information of the public has been continuously on an not easy path. Journalists in Albania are constantly faced with censorship, self-censorship, difficult working conditions, late payments and many other problems. They are often targeted by criminal groups or exponents of the business world, who are inspired by prestigious international institutions that monitor media freedom from the denigrating language of officials towards journalists. Added to these problems are those related to rapid technological developments, and what many analysts consider to be dangerous marathons of clicks, to the detriment of public information. Gathering facts is the only way, according to them, that can make the media more immune to the difficulties it faces in the face of various pressures./VOA

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