Albania marked a significant improvement in the global ranking for media freedom during 2025, climbing 19 places in the World Index and ranking 80th out of 180 countries.
However, according to an annual report for 2025, conducted by the organization BIRN Albania in partnership with SCiDEV and the Fact Center, this improvement does not reflect a profound change in the daily reality of the media in the country.
Journalists' perception of media freedom
According to a survey conducted with 106 journalists, the majority of them think that the situation for freedom of expression has worsened during 2025. About 64.2% of respondents state that freedom of expression has declined, while only 17% report an improvement.
Access to information also remains problematic. Half of the journalists surveyed (50%) say that accessing information in institutions has become more difficult compared to last year. Meanwhile, 36.8% report a deterioration in working conditions in newsrooms.
The data also shows differences by role in the profession. Editors report the highest levels of deterioration in freedom of expression and access to information, suggesting that journalists in decision-making positions face more direct constraints related to editorial independence and relations with institutions.
Also, 36.8% of respondents reported that the safety of journalists has worsened, while 44.3% said there had been no change, compared to 17% who said there had been improvement.
"Although we have a lower percentage reporting deterioration compared to 2024 (54.7%)," the report says, “more than a third of respondents continue to perceive worsening security conditions.”
This suggests that, while perceptions of safety may have stabilized somewhat compared to last year, a significant portion of journalists continue to experience or perceive vulnerabilities in their professional environment.
Censorship and reporting restrictions
Restrictions on reporting remain a widespread reality for journalists in Albania. Only 9.4% of respondents state that they have always been able to report freely, without fear of censorship or retaliation.
"On the other hand, 40.6% report that they sometimes feel restricted, 16% report frequent concerns and 11.3% state that they have never been able to report freely. In total, about 68% of respondents have experienced some restriction during the past year," the report states.
Reporting on grand corruption is considered the most sensitive topic. Around 61.3% of journalists identify this topic as limited, followed by reporting on organized crime and the bad practices of large corporations.
The data also shows that restrictions have a tangible impact on the content of reporting. Only 19.8% of journalists say they have never abandoned a story due to pressure or self-censorship, while around 80% of them have given up on publishing a piece of material at least once.
"These findings show that perceived constraints are not simply subjective impressions, but have a measurable impact on journalists' reporting and the information made available to the public," the report states.
Threats and safety of journalists
According to the survey, 40.6% of journalists report having experienced threats or intimidation while practicing their profession.
Meanwhile, 12.3% of respondents declare that they have been physically attacked at least once while working as journalists. Journalists working in television report more cases of threats and attacks compared to their colleagues in online media.
"Men report a higher number of physical assaults (18.8%) compared to women (6.9%)," the report emphasizes, while reporters seem most affected by these attacks.
Also, television journalists report that they face physical attacks and threats more often compared to online journalists.
Verbal threats are the most common form of pressure, reported by over 70% of journalists who have experienced intimidation. Online harassment is the second most common form, while a portion of journalists also report threats of legal action, harassing phone calls, and abusive language.
According to the data, government officials are identified as the main source of threats, followed by political groups, criminal organizations, and media owners.
Female journalists and gender-based risks
Female journalists also face specific forms of gender-related threats. Some 17.2% of female journalists surveyed report having experienced gender-based threats or harassment while practicing their profession.
The most common form is verbal harassment, followed by sexual harassment and online abuse. In some cases, physical threats have also been reported.
"It is important to note that 60% of threatened respondents reported that such threats influenced their reporting to at least a moderate extent," is analyzed in the report.
The report also highlights that some journalists feel unprotected by the institutions or the media outlets where they work.
"19% of women journalists reported that their safety concerns were not addressed at all by the media outlet they worked for and 31% reported that their concerns were not addressed sufficiently," the report points out.
Denunciation and lack of trust in institutions
One of the main problems identified is the lack of trust among journalists in state institutions. Only 18.6% of journalists who have experienced threats have reported the incidents to the authorities.
"The main reason for not reporting was lack of trust in authorities (63.9%), followed by the belief that reporting would not make any difference (27.9%)," the report states.
Journalists also point out that political pressure, economic pressure from owners or advertisers, and lack of legal protection are among the main challenges to their professional security.
Working conditions in the media sector
About 36.8% of respondents report worsening working conditions, while 41.5% say the situation has not changed.
The problems are mainly related to insecure employment contracts and the lack of financial stability in the sector.
Institutions have taken several steps to improve the situation, including a memorandum of cooperation between the Audiovisual Media Authority and the State Labor Inspectorate to monitor working conditions in the media. However, according to the report, implementation of the legislation remains uneven.
Media coverage of elections and structural challenges
The report emphasizes that the 2025 election campaign served as a test for media freedom in the country.
About 83% of journalists surveyed report having covered the elections, while most of them encountered difficulties during the process.
Around 70% of journalists who covered the campaign state that they faced restrictions on access to information. In addition, 23.9% report pressure or threats while working.
Candidates and members of political parties are identified as the main source of these pressures.
Some journalists state that they have felt pressured to only use materials provided by political parties, thus limiting the opportunity for independent reporting.
The report emphasizes that the problems in the media sector in Albania are mainly structural and not isolated cases.
Political pressure, concentration of media ownership, non-transparent funding, and economic insecurity of journalists create a fragile environment for independent journalism.
Also Read:
- EP draft report: Call for media protection and stronger fight against corruption
- 2025, a difficult year for journalists and media freedom
- OSCE-ODIHR Report: Censorship and Media Inequality During Elections
Erisa Kryeziu has completed higher studies in Journalism and Communication and Master of Science in Public Relations at the University of Tirana. She has been a journalist and project manager at Citizens.al for five years, where she reports on social issues and human rights, especially on issues of rights at work, in education, gender equality, marginalized groups, people with disabilities such as and for environmental issues. At the same time, she works as a project coordinator with a focus on youth and media education. User of new reporting techniques such as "Mobile Journalism" and citizen engagement tools in reporting (ECR-Engage Citizens Journalism).
