Council of Europe Office and OSCE Presence support discussion on code of conduct for Albanian media in elections

TIRANA, 1 June 2005 - The Council of Europe Office in Tirana and the OSCE Presence in Albania welcomed the discussion on a code of conduct for Albanian media professionals during elections by the participants in a seminar on media and elections, held in Tirana yesterday.

The seminar was organized by the Council of Europe together with the Albanian Media Institute, the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Central Elections Commission.

It discussed issues facing the Albanian media during the run-up to the parliamentary elections, to be held on 3 July 2005. The seminar also drew attention to international standards, Council of Europe reference documents and the experience of other countries concerning media professionalism.

Participants from the print and electronic media expressed hope that the code of conduct would be published and implemented by the media while reporting on the electoral campaign.