MCCM
RESILIENCE
OUR MEDIA
A joint initiative of Qendra Res Publica and the Albanian Media Council (AMC), focused on strengthening ethical journalism, resulted in the implementation of the project “Promoting Ethics and Self-Regulation in Local Media: Challenging Disinformation,” in two Albanian cities – Shkodër and Vlorë. The goal – to support ethical journalism and encourage self-regulation in local media, especially in places where disinformation, financial pressure, and editorial influence can be a challenge.
Res Publica Center focuses on advancing transparency, freedom of expression, and providing legal support to journalists facing pressure or censorship, while the Albanian Media Council is the only self-regulatory media body in Albania, bringing together journalists committed to ethical and professional standards. These two organizations joined forces to organize a series of structured dialogue sessions in both cities.
Each session brought together local journalists from different media outlets, civil society voices, and experts on media ethics. The discussions touched on three main themes – how ethics and self-regulation are perceived, what stands in the way and what could help their implementation, and practical ideas tailored to the realities of local media.
These sessions revealed both the challenges and the readiness for change. Journalists discussed real-life constraints such as lack of editorial independence, absence of formal contracts, financial instability – while also expressing a desire for shared ethical standards and peer-based accountability.
“The biggest result was bringing most of the local journalists under one roof to talk about self-regulation, building synergy, and assessing the best way to be part of the new wave of Journalism Trust Initiative standards,” said Koloreto Cukali, from the Albanian Media Council.
The feedback from participants highlighted both limitations and aspirations in respect to these initiatives. “We can’t build formal structures, but we can have some rules among ourselves,” said one of the participants in the project activities. Many of them highlighted that they needed guidance on what is ethical in real-life situations, though maintaining ethics as a priority in everyday life is not always feasible.
The project is funded through the Our Media sub-granting scheme, which has provided support to 21 local projects across the Western Balkans.
The regional program “Our Media: A civil society action to generate media literacy and activism, counter polarisation and promote dialogue” is implemented with the financial support of the European Union by partner organizations SEENPM, Albanian Media Institute, Mediacentar Sarajevo, Press Council of Kosovo, Montenegrin Media Institute, Macedonian Institute for Media, Novi Sad School of Journalism, Peace Institute and Bianet.
This article was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Macedonian Institute for Media and SEENPM and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
