Among journalists, there’s a general rule, according to which, “bad news is good news”. This means that what may be considered as bad news for an individual, community, state, society or government, could be considered as good news for journalists, because public opinion will show added interest for this piece of information.
The more media outlets there were, the more this media culture turned into a scope in itself, because the staff of these media outlets was small and the media outlets were poor. Often, newspapers and magazines have more pages than reporters, TV networks often have more news bulletins than they have cameras and almost every Albanian has his own online media, without taking into account their own personal accounts on the internet.
The inability to have sufficient sources which would cover all these media (there are around 30 thousand Albanian websites) has led them to copy news stories which circulate in almost all the media; it has led to a failure to verify the authenticity of information from at least two opposite and independent sources, without taking into account the application of other elements such as style, genre, copyright and a bunch of other elements.
This has pushed the media to go the extra mile for one extra “like”, for one extra newspaper copy sold and for TV networks and radios to do everything in order to have one extra viewer or listener tuning in.
This is not a new culture in Albania and was not born in the age of internet. On the contrary. It has its roots deep in the journalism of transition, when news and police reports, murderers, injures, domestic violence, drugs, thefts, robberies and anything else that appeared in police statements, always occupied the headlines of every newspaper and news bulletin.
As years went by, this method turned into a work culture and a way of living and existence for a part of the media, striving to make everything look gloomy. This way of looking at things was also noticed by foreigners and their media. It came to a point when in neighboring countries, after each crime that was reported, journalists immediately mentioned Albanian emigrants as the usual suspects, treating them and making them feel as the black sheep of societies where they were trying to integrate. Under these circumstances, the image of Albanians and Albania kept foreign investors away, along with tourists and the country’s integrating processes in Euro-Atlantic institutions. This is the reason why, even after more than a quarter of a century since the overthrow of communism and the arrival of democracy in the country, foreigners manage to realize that reality in Albania is completely different from their individual or collective perception only when they arrive here.
This year and in the recent years too, Albania has been one of the top destinations for the most prestigious tour operators and media in the world, being considered as one of the biggest discoveries of 2017. Sometimes they have compared us to Croatia, sometimes to Montenegro and sometimes to other Mediterranean countries, which have become part of tour guides decades ago.
But what was different in 2013 or 2014 in Albania as opposed to this year? Why was the 2017 Albania better than the 2016 or 2015 Albania, besides the fact that many towns and cities underwent major changes? Berat, Gjirokastra, Korca, Durres, Shkodra, Tirana and many other destinations in the south and north, in the coast or in the fields, hills or mountains, historical or rural areas, have been there for a long time.
Of course, road infrastructure has improved, along with internet, our culture of service and the level and quality of investments in tourism. But these things didn’t change overnight. Such changes are gradual. They undergo an evolutionary process, a process that many countries before us have experienced. But they were not explored today, as it was the case with the Albanian tourist areas.
What has caused this boom of positivity with which Albania is being seen as a destination, which has been reflected and is expected to be reflected even more in the near future, is information. Information on Albania and Albanians now in the age of internet, no longer needs the reporting of traditional media, which up until yesterday, had the exclusivity on this. Now, each foreigner acts a “journalist” of a “media” for friends and his fellow countrymen, through his postings, photos, videos, testimonies, interviews and communications, without undergoing censorship and without being dictated by the slogan “bad news is good news”.
This along with the growth of professionalism among the main media outlets in the country, has given more space to the reporting of positive news. There are more programs, documentaries, interviews and videos which speak of another Albania. They speak of a real Albania which is working, building and thriving, a country which is developing, investing and reconstructing.
All of this has given households, villages, cities and regions more incomes, more destinations, more fame, more jobs and as a result; altogether, we have given Albania a better image. The image of a country with fantastic historical archeological, cultural, natural and agricultural sites. We have created an opportunity for tourism by the sea, lake, river, mountain and the opportunity for adventure tourism. This is a country where people from the West come and spend their retirement here, where people invest and create jobs.
For several months now, the Prime Minister starts the day by posting on his official Facebook page a good news story, a video, a photo or a collage of another Albania. Of an Albania which, despite its problems, is a normal and positive country which is being developed every day.
Unaccustomed to such a culture of continuity, a part of those who made comments, were very negative with their comments in Rama’s postings. But they are not as bitter now and I’m sure that one day, they will reduce in number. But, let us hope that they will not disappear completely, because this way, instead of a country where “bad news is good news”, we would be living in a country where “good news would be bad news”.
Note: The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Albanian Free Press’ editorial policy.
