Albania
Monthly Highlights February: sensationalistic reporting, ethnic hate, attacks on journalists and sexual exploitation alongside media manipulation and targeting of CSOs
During February, the RDN monitoring team detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse fuelled by sensationalistic reporting, ethnic hate, sexual exploitation and violence against journalists alongside media manipulation and targeting of CSOs. Sensational reporting in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo targeting victims of gender-based violence In the month of February, a woman and her …
Anti-abortion Campaign Gets Positive Coverage in BiH Media
Critical reviews of the “40 Days for Life” initiative and its real impact on women is absent in the media. Last week, the Parish of St. Matthew in Mostar announced that “Mostar, and thus Bosnia and Herzegovina, is included in the ‘40 Days for Life’ international initiative”. The activities of the campaign will be carried …
Regional media reporting on months-long student-led protests in Serbia
Novi Sad train station canopy collapsed on November 1st, 2024, killing fifteen people, and severely injuring two more. This ignited a nationwide, student-led movement in Serbia, demanding justice for victims and the rule of law. Since the protests began, RDN has closely followed how Serbian media have covered them. As students are currently marching from …
Troll of the Month: High-level officials Edi Rama and Erion Veliaj
The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spreads hate speech based on gender, ethnicity, religion, or other diversity categories. The Balkan Troll is selected based on hate speech incidents identified across the Western Balkans region. On February 11, 2025, Prime Minister Edi Rama accused …
Monthly Monitoring Highlights January: Gender-based violence, media targeting, ethnic discrimination, homophobia and anti-LGBTIQ+ narratives alongside genocide denial
During January, the RDN monitoring team detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse fueled by ethnic hate, anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric, gender-based violence, and genocide denial alongside harmful media targeting and reporting. Gender-based violence in Albania The reality show Big Brother VIP Albania has become a highly influential program in Albania, shaping public opinion and societal …
Monthly Monitoring Highlights December: Hatred towards journalists, ethnic hatred, anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric, the politicisation of sexual harassment cases alongside sexism and hateful targeting
During December, the RDN monitoring team detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse fuelled by hatred towards journalists, anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric, sexism and ethnic hatred. Hatred towards journalists in Kosovo The founder of the online portal “Nacionale,” Berat Buzhala, received a death threat on his Facebook profile with the account name “Valon Karanezi.” “If I …
Troll of the Year 2024: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama
The Balkan Troll of the Month is an individual, a group of individuals or a media outlet that spread hate based on gender, ethnicity, religion or other diversity categories, across the Western Balkan region. In December, RDN combined votes from the Western Balkan countries with input from a public voting process to select the Troll …
Monthly Monitoring Highlights November: anti-LGBTIQ+ narratives, ethnic and religious discrimination alongside sexism, and attacks against journalists
During November, the RDN monitoring team detected a range of hateful narratives and discourse fueled by anti-LGBTIQ+ narratives, ethnic and religious discrimination alongside sexism, and attacks against journalists. Anti-LGBTIQ+ sentiments in North Macedonia At an event organised by the Youth Education Forum (YEF), the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) and the National Student Body (NSB), …
The case of Imane Khelif: How women athletes are always on trial
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won Olympic gold amid media scrutiny that overshadowed her athletic achievements, in a global moral panic over whether she was truly a woman. Sensationalist media reporting and online abuse that went viral globally was led by sexism, transphobia and racism, and fueled by gender disinformation. In Serbian media, headlines and narratives …