Media image among the public and media trust in Albania

In order to contribute to a more complete and clearer current overview of the image of the media among the public and the level of media trust in Albania, the Albanian Media Institute undertook a nationwide survey during January-February 2019. This report seeks to shed light upon and analyze public perception of the media and the level of trust therein, relying precisely on the results of this survey. The research realized through this survey focused on three aspects: first, research focuses on the image of the media among the public; second, it focuses on the level of public trust in the media; and, third, it focuses on the public’s consumer behavior toward the media, in an attempt to highlight tendencies and problems in this regard. The survey discovers that the Albanian public, in its overwhelming majority, considers that the media has great importance for the democracy of a country. However, although they recognize the very important role of the media vis-à-vis democracy, about half of respondents say that Albanian media have served democracy and public interest somewhat. The surveyed Albanian public also considers that media in Albania are partially free. The survey casts light also on the mutual rapport between media and politics, confirming the presence of pressure exercised by politics toward the media. The survey also finds that the emergence of the internet and online media have led to drastic changes also in the consumer behavior of the Albanian public toward the media. The survey was supported by Open Society Foundation Albania.