Ten journalists from Albanian Public Radio and TV (RTSH) engaged in training on election coverage guided by experts from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Tirana (21-24 April).

Eurovision ACADEMY faculty member and former Danish Broadcasting Corporation executive Henrik Hansen and OSCE electoral reform officer Florian Hobdari led a workshop on electoral-coverage standards and best practices ahead of local elections, which are scheduled for 21 June.   

RTSH journalists used the opportunity to create their own charter on election coverage and produce sample features – two for television and two for radio on topics including urban planning, the funding of political parties, new administrative reform of Albania, and the ‘silent exodus’ of citizens from Albanian province to Western countries, mainly Germany.

EBU Partnership Programme Senior Project Manager Radka Betcheva said the workshops also gave insight into the latest reporting and editing techniques and the use of social media in electoral coverage. In the weeks and months ahead, the Partnership Programme will further assist RTSH in their plans to develop modern editorial principles and rules for election coverage.

The workshop was organized by the EBU Partnership Programme within the framework of the EBU-EU public service media support programme in EU accession countries, in cooperation with the Eurovision ACADEMY, RTSH and the OSCE Presence in Albania.