Ping-pong/ Edi Rama responds to Reporters Without Borders: Worthless? Wow!

2026-05-28 13:06:00, Aktualitet CNA

Prime Minister Edi Rama has responded to statements by Reporters Without Borders, who have demanded that the prime minister, instead of trying to prove that the Reporters Without Borders index is wrong, should work to solve the problems of press freedom in Albania.

Rama has called their reaction dismissive, saying that the published data is reliable and very important.

He emphasizes that his goal was not to prove them wrong but to share additional information on the facts even when they challenge existing assumptions.

"Without any value? Wow. That's a surprisingly dismissive reaction to data that seems both credible and very important."

You are presented with well-verified data showing that Albania is 33 percentage points below the threshold typically associated with “captured” media systems, and yet you believe that this does not matter at all?

Honestly, my goal here wasn't to prove you wrong. I just thought it was worth sharing additional fact-based information, assuming you'd be open to objective and unbiased sources, even when they challenge existing assumptions.

I also believed it might be encouraging to acknowledge that Albania remains well away from meeting the definition of a “captured” media environment, despite the very real challenges that still exist in improving media standards and protecting journalists.

I have never doubted the importance of the concerns raised in your roadmap and would sincerely welcome the opportunity to discuss them further with you and your local partners at any time. Simply suggest a date and location, and I will be happy to attend, for I have hoped for years to engage in the kind of meaningful dialogue that you say you look forward to.

At the same time, I would encourage you not to ignore empirical evidence simply because it leads to a different conclusion. It might even be worth reaching out directly to the young people behind that impressive AI-based tool and exploring whether there is room for collaboration in further strengthening your methodology.

"At the end of the day, getting closer to the truth is more important than clinging to conclusions that may deserve reconsideration. I look forward to meeting around a roundtable and, until then, I will continue to share any new findings that can contribute to the discussion," Rama writes./ CNA