Author: Danijela Pejatovic

New Report Uncovers Gaps in Transparency and Ethics in Albania’s 2025 Digital Election Campaign

BIRN Albania, in cooperation with International IDEA and the Rule of Law Centre at the University of Helsinki, has published a new monitoring report analysing digital campaigning during Albania’s 2025 parliamentary elections. The report highlights systemic challenges in transparency, ethical use of technology, and the growing influence of third-party actors on social media platforms.

Conducted from 11 April to 11 May 2025, the monitoring covered the official campaign period, the electoral silence, and the days immediately after the vote. The research assessed the activity of over 500 Facebook and Instagram accounts of parliamentary candidates, third-party pages, and political advertisers across Meta and Google platforms. It relied on a multi-layered methodology combining social media analytics, Meta Ad Library tracking, Google Trends data, and manual review of campaign content.

The findings reveal a highly personalised and male-dominated digital campaign space, widespread infractions of the voluntary Code of Conduct on Digital Campaigns, and increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI), bots, and untraceable ads to shape public narratives. BIRN also documented 349 violations of the Code by registered candidates and identified 58 suspicious third-party pages — many of which used paid advertising and coordinated inauthentic behaviour to boost political messaging.

Published in both Albanian and English, the report offers data-driven insights and targeted recommendations for political actors, electoral authorities, online platforms, and civil society. It calls for stronger oversight mechanisms, improved ad transparency, and clear standards on AI-generated political content to safeguard democratic integrity in the digital age.

This monitoring was conducted as part of the regional project “Integrity and Trust in Albanian and Kosovo Elections: Fostering Political Finance Transparency and the Safe Use of Information and Communication Technologies, Phase II,” implemented by International IDEA and the Rule of Law Centre at the University of Helsinki.

Read the full report:

Download in Albanian

Download in English

Call for Applications: Training on responsible journalism, gender-sensitive reporting, media ethics and safety

BIRN Kosovo is pleased to announce the call for applications for a specialised training programme on responsible journalism, gender-sensitive reporting, freedom of information, media regulation, journalistic ethics, and safety in the field.

The training is organised within an EU-funded project, ‘Strengthening the role and capacities of investigative journalism in Kosovo’. 

This programme aims to equip participants with essential journalistic tools, strengthen their professional knowledge, and enable them to exchange experiences on key issues that affect the media landscape. While media and civil society organisations play a crucial role in monitoring public institutions and societal developments, many journalists still lack the necessary training, practical skills, and resources to effectively use freedom of information mechanisms, conduct in-depth research, and follow public sector developments.

Who can apply?

The call is open to:

  • Journalism students
  • Recent graduates
  • Young journalists
  • Experienced journalists

Applicants from Serbian, Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities in Kosovo are strongly encouraged to apply. Translation will be provided during the training to ensure equal participation for all selected applicants.

How to Apply?

Applicants must submit their applications no later than December 12, 2025 (midnight, Central European Time) to:

[email protected] 

Applications must include:

  1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  2. Motivation Letter (up to 500 words)

Applicants who have journalistic articles published in different media may submit them together (links of PDF) with their CV and motivation letter. The motivation letter should reflect the applicant’s interest in the topic, relevant experience, and expectations from the programme.

Location

The training will be held in Prishtina. The exact venue, agenda, and logistical details will be shared only with selected participants.

Important dates

  • Application Deadline: December 12, 2025, at 12:00 CET
  • Training Date: December 22, 2025

BIRN Kosovo Holds Digital Rights Meeting

BIRN Kosovo organised an online meeting with local communities about their digital rights on November 27.

The event brought together representatives from universities in Kosovo, students, journalists and civil society organisations. Its aim was to strengthen people’s capacities to understand digital rights and enhance their skills in identifying and protecting these rights. 

The meeting began with a presentation about the Reporting Digital Rights and Freedom project, including its goals, objectives and activities over the past year. The presentation highlighted key findings from BIRN’s Annual Report on Digital Rights Violations, focusing on the cases that have been identified and recorded as digital rights violations within the framework of the project.

During the meeting, Labinot Leposhtica, Coordinator of the Legal and Court Monitoring Office, highlighted the importance of digital rights as an integral part of universal human rights. He said these rights include privacy, freedom of expression and protection against online abuse. Leposhtica discussed the necessary steps and best practices to respect and promote these rights effectively, underlining the role of  institutions and citizens in ensuring a safe and fair digital environment. 

Following this, Xhorxhina Bami, journalist and editor at BIRN, presented the Engaged Citizens Reporting (ECR) platform, a digital tool launched by BIRN that allows journalists to gather information directly from communities and involve them in the reporting process. Bami explained that the platform enables citizens to report their concerns while maintaining full anonymity. 

The meeting was attended by 35 participants, including 30 women. They had the opportunity to engage in discussions and share their experiences regarding digital rights violations in Kosovo, including the misuse of personal data, anonymity on social media and unauthorised dissemination of information. 

This meeting was organised within the framework of Reporting Digital Rights and Freedoms, implemented by BIRN Kosovo and supported by the European Union.

Detektor Journalist Shortlisted for Fetisov International Journalism Award

A story about obtaining the right to justice for victims of war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina was one of two articles by Detektor journalist Emina Dizdarevic Tahmiscija which have been shortlisted for the Fetisov International Journalism Award for 2025.

Dizdarevic Tahmiscija was shortlisted by the award’s global expert jury in the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Peace’ category, with her stories How Excessive Focus on War Crimes Results in Disappointment of Victims and More than Ten Million Marks for Monuments in a Decade Lost for Memorialization and Reparations.

The jury announced a shortlist of 33 stories submitted from 19 countries –  a reminder that despite numerous crises facing the media, high-quality journalism remains alive and kicking around the world. 

In her first article, Dizdarevic Tahmiscija described how, after the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than 1,100 people were convicted of war crimes. Despite this, prosecutors’ refusal to systematically file indictments against high-ranking perpetrators, fragmentation of complex investigations, slow trials, lack of a strategic approach, politicisation, and lack of support for witnesses resulted in absolute disappointment of victims and their families. This was illustrated by Dizdarevic Tahmiscija through the example of one of the victims who has seen only partial justice in court. 

In the second nominated story, the Detektor journalist examined how much money had been genuinely contributed to creating a systematic approach to transitional justice processes, such as memorialisation and reparations, and to ensuring a comprehensive framework focusing on victims and their families.

“It is a distinct honour to be among the nominated journalists from around the world. Especially because this is a confirmation of the importance of stories about transitional justice and giving space to victims who had the courage to tell their stories, thereby placing their trust in me. This is also a reminder that these topics must never cease to be in focus,” said Dizdarevic Tahmiscija.

The Fetisov International Journalism Award promotes universal human values, such as honour, justice, courage, and nobility, through the examples of outstanding journalists from around the world, while “their service and dedication contribute to changing the world for the better”.

The shortlist also included entries from France, the Netherlands, Qatar, Indonesia, Great Britain, the USA, India, Finland, Mexico, Italy, Canada, Germany, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, China, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The winners will be announced at an award-giving ceremony to be held in Cyprus on April 22, 2026.