Since arriving in Albania in 2019, the Swedish Ambassador to Albania, Elsa Hastad has been busy making her presence felt. She has appeared at women’s rights marches, taken part in virtual 5k fundraisers, spoken out about human rights, and has been vocal on her support for free media and the rights of journalists.
In honour of World Press Freedom Day, Exit sat down (virtually of course) with Hastad to ask her some burning questions about the Albanian media landscape.
What does “press freedom” mean to you?
For me as an Ambassador, representing Sweden, press freedom is the fundament of democracy.
It is one of the most important means for citizens to get information, to value information and create their own opinion. Free press means free thinking. A free press is a rich diversity of opinions, facts, experiences and knowledge. Personally, I am addicted to free and independent media.
250 years ago the world witnessed the passing of the first Freedom of the Press Act, enacted by the Swedish Parliament. Since then, 120 countries have followed our example and enacted similar legislation – ensuring the public’s right to know, empowering journalists and strengthening freedom.
Today, the democratic space is shrinking in many parts of the world – this is when fearless and courageous journalism is needed more than ever!
Journalists have an essential role in scrutinizing the power: this is why we in Sweden refer to the media as “the third state power”, after the Government and the Parliament. To be able to do this, journalists must be free from fear of repercussions, they must be protected.
Free and independent journalism reinforces democracy, justice and the rule of law. It is also a prerequisite for combating gross economic inequalities, reversing climate change and promoting women’s rights.
When practitioners of free speech are threatened, we must do everything we can to protect them. Journalism is one of the professions that is most exposed to threats, and this is especially true for female journalists. This constitutes a threat not only to women and quality journalism but also to freedom of expression.
Journalists also have an important role in informing and educating the public – this is something that has become even more apparent in the last months. A free, independent and pluralistic media plays an indispensable role in informing the public during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
What are the main challenges you see for Albanian journalists and the media landscape in the country? How can these be overcome?
Many of the challenges faced by Albanian journalists are the same as the challenges we see in Sweden.
Financing is a struggle for many media outlets, especially in a time when the way we consume media is changing. The balance between being independent and finding financing can be a thin line to walk. I know that now this is a bigger challenge to Albanian journalists than ever.
Media ethics is another topic discussed by journalists all around the globe. I think the solution to this is self-regulation, rather than legislation limiting the media freedom. Journalists must ensure high qualitative journalism themselves. Therefore, I also think that capacity building in journalism must be strengthened, because the highest professional standards of journalism are essential for the news media industry to be seen as representative, credible and relevant.
I think everyone has a role to play in taking this forward.
In the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, journalists are often on the front-line reporting about the crisis, risking their health in order to provide the public with accurate information. For this, I want to thank all journalists because this work is so important!
How is the Swedish Embassy planning to support media freedom in Albania over the next 12 months?
I think it’s important to have an ongoing and open dialogue with the media itself and the government about the role of the media in a free society.
Over the next 12 months and the following years to come, the Swedish Embassy will continue this dialogue with Albania as a partner country, making sure to include both parts. We will continue to support the work of journalists and push for an enabling environment for media in our communication with the public and in political dialogue.
In the last 20 years, Sweden has prioritized democracy and human rights in Albania in terms of funding and dialogue. The main assumption of the support for reforms, processes, institutions and actors of democratisation such as civil society, is that it is essential for the EU integration process and strengthening of democracy in the country.
However, democracy and human rights can never be taken for granted. This is the reason behind Swedish government’s new initiative known as “Sweden’s Drive for Democracy”, intended to give a boost to Swedish support and engagement in democracy, an area that unfortunately seems to deteriorate globally. In the future, Sweden’s democracy assistance will focus, even more than today, on freedom of expression, both offline and online.
The Embassy will continue to support the training of journalists, mainly through the Swedish Institute programme. We make it possible for journalists, human rights defenders and activists to participate in the Stockholm Internet Forum, which takes place every year. We make sure that the exchange between journalists and media organisations in Sweden takes place.
In addition to this, Sweden hopes to make a difference and support the media, even more, this year. Through Swedish organisations such as Civil Rights Defenders, the Embassy continues to support initiatives on freedom of expression, thereby prioritizing the role and empowerment of human rights defenders. Currently, the Embassy also provides core support to the work of BIRN Albania.
Sweden will continue to be a reliable partner for Albania and that includes the media sector. This is a priority for us.
