OSCE presence, calls to the authorities/ Maintain balance with journalists, abusive facts come to light

2023-09-18 18:57:00, Aktualitet CNA

OSCE presence, calls to the authorities/ Maintain balance with journalists,

OSCE Presence Albania organized the 9th annual Media Development Forum

The presence of the OSCE organized on September 18, 2023, the ninth edition of the Media Development Forum, a dialogue platform between the media, state institutions and civil society. This year's forum focused on issues related to the safety of journalists, legislation affecting the media and the impact of artificial intelligence on the work of the media in Albania.

During the opening speech, Ambassador Bruce Berton, the Chairman of the OSCE Presence in Albania, emphasized the presence's commitment to the cause of media freedom in the country.

OSCE presence, calls to the authorities/ Maintain balance with journalists,

“It is essential that media are provided with the tools and institutional policies to help them navigate the rapidly changing information ecosystem in a responsible and ethical manner. In accordance with the principles of the OSCE, which the government is committed to implement as one of our 57 participating countries, Albanian public institutions must create the necessary space for the media to function without obstacles. For this reason, we urge the authorities to keep in mind the balance and carefully weigh the right to disseminate information that is important to the public. "Facts must always be allowed to come to light, even those that call for accountability or reveal abuses or corruption," he said.

OSCE presence, calls to the authorities/ Maintain balance with journalists,

Adea Pirdeni, Deputy Minister of Justice, Teresa Ribeiro, OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media, Ambassador Luigi Soreca, in charge of ad interim work, EU Delegation to Albania, and Giulia Re also spoke at the opening of the meeting. , President of the Office of the Council of Europe in Tirana.

The second session of the Forum was devoted to the main challenges that arise due to the expanded use of artificial intelligence and its impact on the media today. Discussions focused on the importance of transparency, access to information and fact-checking as a means of fighting corruption and promoting professional journalism.

OSCE presence, calls to the authorities/ Maintain balance with journalists,

A special ceremony was held during the Forum, during which the winners of the annual OSCE Presence fact-checking competition were announced. They are:

· Arbjona Çibuku from Citizens Channel for her article "Tirana's Orbital Forest".

· Esmeralda Cenollari from Faktoje.al for her attractive article "Bypass of Vlora".

· Ilda Koçi, also from Faktoje.al, for her insightful article "All the roads of Shijak lead to the Park, a bill of 40 million lek for the park that does not exist!".

This year's competition focused on fact-checking and using data from open sources, supporting evidence-based journalism, and promoting the use of publicly sourced data and solid news-gathering skills./ CNA