Albania: MFRR and SafeJournalists condemn blatant intimidation of journalists covering parliamentary elections - Article

OBCT joins partners from the Media Freedom Rapid Response and the SafeJournalists Network in raising alarm over numerous incidents of intimidation and obstruction faced by journalists covering the Albanian parliamentary elections

Albania: Media freedom groups welcome court verdict on seizure of journalist Elton Qyno’s equipment - Article

SafeJournalists Network, the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcome the decision of the Constitutional Court of Albania which overturned the lower-court orders allowing the search and seizure of journalist Elton Qyno’s equipment, reinforcing the importance of protecting journalistic sources and freedom of expression in line with international standards

SafeJournalists Network and Media Freedom Rapid Response: TikTok ban in Albania threatens freedom of expression ahead of general elections - Article

SafeJournalists Network (SJN), the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners, and civil society organizations express serious concern regarding the Albanian Council of Ministers' decision to suspend nationwide access to the TikTok platform for 12 months

Addressing Key Challenges to Media Freedom in Albania and Serbia - Article

To contribute to the European Commission’s Rule of Law monitoring, OBCT, in partnership with SCiDEV and IJAS, produced two Shadow Reports outlining the challenges and gaps in media freedom in Albania and Serbia. The main findings were presented during a webinar

By Serena Epis, Sukanya Sengupta

Originally published by OBCT. Also available in ITA

SafeJournalists and MFRR: Smear campaigns against independent media and civil society organizations must stop - Article

SafeJournalists Network and organizations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) strongly condemn the attacks on the Council of Media Ethics of Albania (KSHM) and the think tank - Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) that has issued a shadow report on media freedom in Albania, as well as on researcher Blerjana Bino

From Silence to Strength: A Regional Response to SLAPPs in the Western Balkans - Reports

The newly released Balkan Civil Society Development Network Report examines the SLAPP phenomenon across the Western Balkans

Media Capture in the Western Balkans: From captured states to captured media - Reports

The policy brief produced by Southeast European Leadership for Development and Integrity (SELDI)  provides an analytical insight into the mechanisms behind media capture in the Western Balkans countries, as a phenomenon that negatively affects the media landscape in those countries through impairment of media freedom and pluralism. With the region being on track for EU accession, media capture presents a paramount problem that the brief addresses

Albania: SPAK must respect source protection in case of journalist Elton Qyno - Article

OBCT signs a joint letter together with media freedom partners in the SafeJournalists Network, the Media Freedom Rapid Response, and Reporters Without Borders addressed to the head of the Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) to raise concerns over the recent attempts to reveal the source of Albanian journalist Elton Qyno

Albania: urgent measures needed to safeguard journalists - Article

OBCT condemns recent attacks against journalists in Albania and calls on authorities to ensure press freedom in the country

Also available in ITA

Women in newsrooms: perspectives on equity, diversity and resilience - Reports

Looking at the Western Balkans, this report highlights the trends, opportunities and obstacles, identified through the sharing of experiences and perspectives by women working in the media, to paint a more nuanced and complex picture of women’s role in newsrooms, news-making and regional societies more broadly