On World Press Freedom Day, Head of OSCE Presence in Albania urges greater transparency and openness to media

TIRANA, 3 May 2011 - On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day marked today, the Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth encouraged the Albanian media, state authorities and political parties to work together to improve the quality of information provided to the public through the media.

“Greater transparency and openness to the media on the part of state officials and political parties, as well as higher professional standards on the part of journalists are instrumental in ensuring better quality of media information,” Wollfarth said.

Wollfarth welcomed the recent decision of the Electoral College recognizing the right of TV stations to choose whether or not to use ready-made tapes from political parties.

“The media have an extremely important role to play in the ongoing electoral process in informing citizens of political parties’ programmes and candidates’ platforms,” Wollfarth stressed. “Through objective and balanced reporting, they can contribute to the consolidation of democracy in Albania.”