Political Pressures Taking Toll on Kosovo Journalists: Report

Freedom of the media in Kosovo is increasingly being threatened by political pressures which include direct interference by politicians, according to a study entitled 'Media Freedom and Journalists' Safety' which was published on Monday by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo.

According to the study, Kosovo's constitutional and legal framework includes safeguards protecting the freedom of the media and freedom of expression, but their implementation in practice is weak.

Some media owners "dictate their editorial policy through editors to journalists, who are asked to write news in favour of a particular political party", the report said.

Thirty per cent of the journalists interviewed for the report said that censorship has some impact on their work.

The report also said that Kosovo's public broadcaster, RTK, has continued to suffer from political interference this year.

"The journalists who were interviewed emphasised that political interference in the editorial independence of the public broadcaster has continued," said the report.

Shkumbin Ahmetxhekaj, an editor at RTK, told BIRN that politicians see the broadcaster as a prize asset for influencing public opinion.

"The pressure on journalists is so great because they [politicians] all see [media] as a force that could affect citizens," Ahmetxhekaj said.

"The pressure is continuous, it is not going to stop any day, but it's important for journalists and editors to deal with it in the right way," he added.

Agron Bajrami, the editor-in-chief of daily newspaper Koha Ditore, told BIRN that pressures on the media are economic as well as political.

"We have seen some increase in pressure and threats on journalists this year, but we also have a worsened...