DREAM / The Prime Minister resigns and wakes up under the Parisian bridge!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

"3 months of re-education", the journalist community condemns the attitude of Prime Minister Rama: Arrogant decision

2022-07-02 20:22:44Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"3 months of re-education", the journalist community condemns the
Edi Rama and Klevi Muka

In Tirana, organizations of journalists, lecturers and well-known analysts reacted regarding the quarterly suspension from press conferences, which Prime Minister Rama communicated to a journalist, with the explanation that his question was unethical.

The Union of Albanian Journalists asked the Prime Minister to stop such penalizing measures for journalists, because of the questions they ask, as acts that mark the decline of freedom of information.


Prime Minister Edi Rama refused to answer the question of journalist Klevin Muka on Friday, explaining that he had asked an unethical question.

"You will go through re-education, like Ambrosia, for the next 3 months. You are not welcome at any press conference. For repeated questions, without any ethics, there is a process called re-education. 3 months. You will receive the next answer after 3 months in October" - said Mr. Rama.

This is the second time that Mr. Rama "takes for re-education" representatives of the press. Similarly, he "took the journalist Ambrozia Meta for re-education" a few months ago immediately after a question she asked him during a press conference.

The Union of Albanian Journalists stated that such punishments are unusual and unknown in the communications of state leaders with journalists and the media.

The President of UGSH, Aleksandër Çipa, said that the intervention of the Prime Minister yesterday was a repeated act of penalizing the journalist because of the question, which contradicts the Albanian legislation on the right to be informed and marks a decline in freedom of information.

"The Union of Albanian Journalists reacts to such cases and asks the Prime Minister of the Republic to stop such penalizing measures for journalists, because of the questions they ask. The Union of Albanian Journalists would like such practices to be rejected immediately, and even canceled as a last resort. The repetition of such cases would cause many reactions from the community of local and international journalists. Such a thing does not respect the freedom of the media in Albania and even worse, it continues to worsen the indexes of media freedom in international reports" - said Mr. Çipa.

The head of the Fact Verification Organization "Faktoje.al", Klodiana Kapo, says that the freedom of thought and expression, the freedom to seek accountability with facts and sources are basic elements of journalism, which also strengthen democracy.

"Elected senior officials have an obligation to be transparent, open to accountability, because this strengthens the country's democracy and increases trust in public institutions, which is at a very low level. One of the key elements of a journalist's job is to seek facts and verify them, to tell the truth, to inform. This can neither be punished, nor can it be blackmailed" - says Mrs. Kapo.

Prime Minister Rama's punitive measure against journalist Muka is described as unclear in the legal and administrative sense by the professor of journalism at the University of Tirana, Zylyftar Bregu. He emphasizes that solidarity is needed in the journalist community, so that these types of measures are not repeated every time unpopular questions are articulated to officials at all levels of the administration.

"I think the journalist's question was not unethical. It was a bit sarcastic, but it wasn't unethical. While the Prime Minister's decision was arrogant. Instead of giving a comprehensive answer, he gave a damning one. I think that journalists are left alone by the owners, by the associations, and by each other. I don't see any solidarity between colleagues" - says Mr. Bregu.

Political analyst and journalism expert, Lutfi Dervishi, emphasizes that due to the increasing use of social networks, officials are increasingly narrowing communication with journalists.

Officials, he says, feel surprised when in their rare encounters with journalists they encounter challenging questions, but the questions are for answers and not for punishment.

"It is beyond imagination to announce punishments to the journalist for the question he asks. A free journalist has the sacred right to ask challenging questions. It is not a violation of the law, nor is it blasphemy if the journalist uses sarcasm in his question. It is better for the journalist to exaggerate, than for the ruler to exaggerate. The prime minister's use of the term "re-education" is an atavism that comes from the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the last century. Punishing journalists is simply a mistake," says Mr. Dervishi.

Albania fell by 20 places in the World Press Freedom Index, prepared by the organization "Reporters Without Borders", ranking 103 out of 180 for 2022.

International organizations assess in their reports that the legal framework for the right to freedom of expression and information is not fully implemented in practice and there are signs of deterioration of freedom of expression, information and the press, which continue.

They emphasize that it is quite difficult for journalists in Albania due to threats, harassment and difficult working conditions. (VOA)


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×