"3 places down in media freedom"/ Zhupa: Evidence of a government that does not accept accountability

2026-04-30 09:29:00, Aktualitet CNA

"3 places down in media freedom"/ Zhupa: Evidence of a government that

Democratic Party MP Ina Zhupa has raised the alarm about the deterioration of media freedom in Albania, referring to the country's drop of three positions in the Reporters Without Borders rankings.

In a reaction on social media, Zhupa describes this development as a direct consequence of political pressure on journalists and a governance model that, according to her, aims to control the media.

She emphasizes that editorial independence and citizens' right to information have been severely violated, citing as examples the blocking of TikTok, intimidating language towards journalists, and cases of violence against them during protests.

According to Zhupa, these phenomena indicate a dangerous slide of the country towards restricting free speech and weakening democratic standards.

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Albania's three-place drop in Reporters Without Borders' media freedom rankings is a wake-up call. Political pressure on journalists has become the norm, not the exception. Our country now ranks 83rd from 80th in 2025, with 56.5 points from 58.1 points in 2025.

Albania is slipping dangerously in media freedom as a direct result of a governance model that sees the media as an enemy to be subdued, not as a power to be respected.

Editorial independence has been undermined through the capture of regulatory institutions and control over public media. Critical journalists are attacked, labeled and isolated, while citizens are denied the right to independent information.

The decision to block TikTok in 2025, declared a violation of freedom of expression by the Constitutional Court, clearly showed that this government does not hesitate to use extreme means to control public communication. This was not just an administrative act, but a dangerous precedent for restricting free speech for electoral interests.

Prime Minister Rama's intimidating and insulting language towards journalists has created a climate of fear and self-censorship. Scenes of exclusion from conferences, such as the case of journalist Ambrozia Meta, are not isolated incidents, but a reflection of a mentality that does not accept accountability and rejects questions that the government does not like.

Meanwhile, the report dwells on police violence against journalists during opposition protests, which is now the clearest evidence of the degradation of democratic standards. When the state, instead of protecting journalists, uses force against them, then we have moved from pressure to repression.

The damage this government is causing to media freedom is deep and long-lasting: it weakens democracy, undermines transparency, and takes away citizens' right to be informed. / CNA