Media freedom faces structural threats in Albania and Italy despite differing institutional frameworks. Economic pressures, ownership concentration, and legal risks undermine journalistic independence on both sides of the Adriatic.
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Journalists in Albania and Italy operate within vastly different institutional frameworks—Italy as an established EU member with consolidated regulations like the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), and Albania as an EU candidate country aligning its laws with Brussels’ standards. However, both nations see these formal differences blurred by shared operational pressures: media ownership influence, dependence on political and commercial funding, economic-political intersections, SLAPP lawsuits, and self-censorship. Monitoring reports confirm that legal protections do not guarantee editorial independence in practice. In Albania, despite constitutional guarantees, a paradox exists where journalists report worsening freedom of expression and information access; structural issues like concentrated media ownership by entities with state interests drive self-censorship more than direct censorship. Similarly, in Italy, EU membership does not shield the press from risks, with high rates of threats against journalists, particularly those covering climate change, and widespread use of SLAPP suits. Both countries share common challenges: concentrated media ownership used as a tool for political negotiation, severe economic precarity among journalists, and the constant threat of legal intimidation. The conclusion is that while EU standards are necessary, true editorial freedom requires fundamental structural changes in labor market sustainability and media ownership transparency on both sides of the Adriatic.
