The Albanian Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) has reprimanded Top Channel for a story they broadcast which included an interview with the minor son of a woman murdered in Tirana. The Authority stopped short of imposing any sanctions on the station.
On 4 January 2021, Top Channel published an interview with a 14-year-old child who had witnessed his mothers murder. Not only did Top Channel broadcast his name, face, and voice, but they took him inside the property where his mother was executed with a machine gun, and had him show them the inside of the property. In several places, blood from the brutal murder can be seen.
Following a complaint made by activist Liri Kuci, AMA investigated the matter. They said that Top Channel must respect the broadcasting code and consider the best interests of the child. Should such a violation be repeated, it will be forwarded for sanction according to legal provisions. They also said that the transmission of the footage should not be repeated.
Despite this, the footage is still available on YouTube.
