a minute agoHow politics affects journalists' work in Kosovo
Periskopi(2 months ago)
(2 months ago)The establishment of Kosovo on the World Press Freedom Index is a positive signal, but more needs to be done for the country to rank even higher, media policy broadcaster Jeton Mehmeti estimates. “in such indexes, Kosovo is measured by itself, not other states. Matthews with his democratic aspirations are measured by [...]
“in such indexes, Kosovo is measured by itself, not other states. Matthews, with its democratic aspirations, is measured by goals towards European orientation -- that is, according to the Council of Europe model and standards and those of the European Union”, Mehmet says at post 5 questions of Radio Free Europe, Transaction Periscope.
Kosovo ranked 84th out of 180 countries for 2026, rising for 15 countries from last year.
However, one of the main concerns, according to Mehmet, remains the political climate towards the media.
He says politicians' attacks on journalists, through various labels, affect their work.
This affects journalism censorship itself, because journalists who face such calls, with such labels, will find it much harder to do their job”, Mehmeti says.
According to him, the weight of the words of people who are in power who have votes, who have any political party, is greater and has greater influence than the word of a simple individual.
Mehmet cites the increase in verbal attacks and online campaigns on journalists as a factor that has affected earlier declines in the ranking.
In addition to external pressure, Mehmet also notes the internal responsibility of the media.
He recalls that over 50 percent of complaints reviewed in 2025 by the Kosovo Council of Written Media have resulted in violations of the ethical code, mainly from online media.
“This shows that disrespecting professional standards remains a serious challenge”, Mehmeti says.
Despite the challenges, Mehmet sees media pluralism as one of Kosovo's strongest points.
“We don't have monopoly on truth, but diversity of media and opinions”, he says, stressing that this gives citizens the opportunity to compare and create informed positions.
To further improve the situation, Mehmet recommends updateing legislation in line with European standards, establishing stable financial mechanisms for the media, and building a more co-operative culture between politics and journalism. /Periscope
