Conducted during the official campaign period (11 April – 10 May 2025), the monitoring assessed 40 of the country’s most influential online outlets — including the websites of national TV stations, daily newspapers, and digital-native portals. The report combines automated analysis with human coding of nearly 6,000 articles to map visibility, tone, and thematic trends in online coverage.
Findings show that political statements and opinion pieces dominated the online sphere, accounting for more than three-quarters of total content. Coverage remained concentrated on the two main electoral subjects and was driven largely by their leaders. Substantive debate on policies was rare, with most reporting focused on confrontation and accusations rather than programmatic issues such as economy, justice, or social welfare.
The analysis also documents how institutional communication, particularly from the Central Election Commission (CEC), shaped public information about diaspora voting and electoral procedures, while paid digital advertising mirrored the same imbalance seen in editorial content — with the two major players accounting for more than 80% of recorded ads.
Published in both Albanian and English, the report provides evidence-based insights and practical recommendations for journalists, media regulators, and political actors to strengthen transparency, editorial independence, and pluralism in Albania’s online information environment.
This monitoring was conducted as part of the project “Evidence-Based Monitoring of Local Public Spending during Electoral Processes”, funded by the European Union and implemented by Qëndresa Qytetare in partnership with BIRN Albania, aiming to enhance electoral integrity, transparency, and fair competition in Albania’s democratic processes.
Read the full report: