Albania

[AL] Regulator amends Broadcasting Code

IRIS 2018-4:1/12

Ilda Londo

Albanian Media Institute

The Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) approved the amendments made to the Broadcasting Code on December 2017. The Broadcasting Code was first drafted and approved in 2014 by the regulator. In 2017, the Council of Complaints, the body in charge of public complaints related to ethics in broadcasting programmes, started a revision process of this Code. According to AMA’s press release, this revision was necessary “in view of the swift development of the audiovisual media industry, the trends in programme production, as well as the way information and entertainment offered by audiovisual operators is consumed by audiences.”  

The revised version of the Broadcasting Code was discussed with stakeholders in two rounds. On 15 May 2017, the regulator presented the revisions to its partners and to organisations that cater to vulnerable groups. These organisations included the Commissioner on the Right to Information and the Protection of Personal Data, the Agency for the Protection of Children’s Rights, the Observatory for Children’s rights, the Association of Blind Persons, the departments of journalism at the university, etc. The second consultation meeting took place on 21 September 2017, leading to a renewed round of discussions on the Code’s content, following the suggestions that AMA had received. The draft of the Broadcasting Code was also submitted to an online public consultation process lasting 30 days in order to open its content to relevant public discussion, which would eventually be reflected in the Code’s final form. The final version of the Broadcasting Code was approved by the AMA Board on 11 December 2017.

The Broadcasting Code aims to serve as a guide for audiovisual operators regarding ethical dilemmas that might arise, following the spirit and stipulations of the Law on Audiovisual Media. The Code’s main sections include: the guiding principles; privacy and data protection; rules on news editions; child protection in terms of media coverage; interviewing and advertisements; programme warning signals; the coverage of disabled persons; rules on advertising; and the role of the Council of Complaints. While the Code is not intended to be exhaustive, its principles should assist audiovisual media in judging the content of the programmes they produce.