Public Broadcasting Service and Censorship: The Albanian Experience

Abstract

Over the past decades, audiovisual broadcasting has undergone significant changes. Since its creation, it has been mostly provided by public enterprises under a monopoly regime, being a reserved activity. Economic and technological developments have increasingly made it possible for other operators to enter the field of audiovisual broadcasting, thereby allowing market competition. Beyond this, public broadcasting service continued to be preserved, playing an important role as an essential element of pluralistic communication and social cohesion. Certain public broadcasters have been banned by the government or private groups for political, religious, or moral reasons, or for controversial content. Censorship standards vary widely by country and can change within a country at different times. Nowadays, public broadcasters face primary threats from commercial challenges, while also contending with political influence. Such is also the case with the Albanian Public Radio Television. Thus, this article focuses on the Albanian model and experience of public broadcasting, providing a historical overview, starting from the communist period until nowadays, viewed in relation to censorship and editorial independence. The purpose of this manuscript consists in analyzing media freedom, highlighting the public broadcasting service, the elements for ensuring its independence, taking into consideration ECHR jurisprudence.