This publication focuses on the way that the introduction and progress of the justice reform was covered in Albanian media. The study aims to introduce the context in which the justice reform was developed and analyzes the media coverage on the progress and the issues related to the reform in general, as well as issues and developments relating to the establishment of the three new institutions: HPC, HJC and SPAK in particular. The research carried out for the purpose of this report included the monitoring of four daily newspapers: Panorama, Tema, Shqiptarja.com and Shekulli; two national TV stations: Klan, and Top Channel, as well as two news portals in the internet: syri.net and javanews.al; during the period November – December 2017, to carry out a quantitative analysis of media coverage, as well as identify the main lines of the media discourse regarding the reform of the justice system and problems with the media coverage. The study introduced the context in which the reform was adapted and the main incentives for such a reform, including the role of new Councils and SPAK.
The second part of the study analyzes the media coverage of the justice reform, in quantitative terms, as well as in regard to the main axes and problems related to media coverage of justice reform, such as political clientelism, media as a mediator between two political battlegrounds, and the tabloidization and personalization of information.
The Study was conducted by Albanian Media Institute, with the financial support of the British Embassy in Albania.