Media freedom and development at the centre of seventh annual Media Development Forum organized by OSCE Presence in Albania
Today marked the seventh annual Media Development Forum, a platform for dialogue among media, state institutions and civil society organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania. This year’s forum focused on the freedom and development of media in Albania.
“I am glad to emphasize our commitment to the cause of media freedom in Albania, which is a priority for our work in the country. We encourage positive partnerships and the use of international best practices. Media, society, and the state need to engage with each other in a spirit of constructiveness,” said Vincenzo Del Monaco, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, at the opening of the forum.
Jutta Gützkow, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, and Jürgen Heissel, Director of the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media also delivered welcoming remarks.
The Forum’s first session was dedicated to the main challenges to media freedom and development affecting Albania this year. Discussions focused on the importance of investigative journalism and the verification of facts as a tool in the fight against corruption and in promoting professional journalism.
A special ceremony was held during the Forum to announce the winners of the OSCE competition on anticorruption investigative journalism. They are:
- Anila Hoxhaj, for the article “The PPP contract on sterilization dearly costs to the healthcare system”;
- Entela Bajramaj, for the documentary “Misappropriation through loans;” and
- Ferdinand Dervishi, for the article “The state’s tricks aimed at misappropriating the seashore’s pearls”.
The Forum was also the setting for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Albanian Public Broadcaster (RTSH) and the Department of Journalism and Communication at the University of Tirana, aimed at extending the journalism students’ internship programme at the RTSH.