Greece and the Albanian-GreekRINIA relations SHQIPTARE in the Albanian 2011 printed media 2014 Mes besimit për të ardhmen dhe dyshimit për të tashmen! Sashenka Lleshaj Dritan Sulçebe Alba Çela Tidita Fshazi Arbjan Mazniku Geron Kamberi Zyra e Tiranës Jonida Smaja – koordinatore e FES Rruga “Abdi Toptani”, Torre Drin, kati 3 P.O. Box 1418 Tirana, Albania
Telefon: 00355 (0) 4 2250986 00355 (0) 4 2273306 Botimet kumi I SBN 978-99928-181-44-2 Homepage: http://www.fes.org.al Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Sashenka Lleshaj Dritan Sulçebe
1 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Published by: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Office Tirana Rr. Abdi Toptani Torre Drin, Kati i 3-te Kutia Postare 1418 Tirane, Albania
Authors: Sashenka Lleshaj Dritan Sulçebe
The opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this publishing are of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent those of Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
Friedrich Ebert Foundtion’s publications cannot be used for commercial purposes without a prior written approval.
2 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Table of Contents
1. Introduction...... 4 Albanian citizens’ perceptions about Greece...... 6 Why to monitor and study the media?...... 7
2. Executive Summary...... 9 What is reported?...... 10 How are issues reported?...... 11
3. Methodology...... 14 Selecting the sample...... 14 How is connotation defined?...... 16 Selecting case studies...... 17
4. Main findings and analysis...... 19 The general picture...... 19 Connotation: how issues were reported...... 24
Case studies...... 27 1. The happy story: the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU and the bilateral visits of Greek and Albanian high officials...... 28 2. The bitter story: the Kareli case...... 34 3. The mixed story: The issue of toponyms...... 39
5. References...... 43
3 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
4 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Introduction
In December 2013, at the conference “Debating Contemporary Albanian- Greek Relations”, the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), supported by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, were presenting in Tirana the findings of their studies on Albanians’ and Greeks’ perceptions about each other, about the bilateral relations and about the many other social, political and economic dimension of the Albanian-Greek relations.1 While the perception picture emerging from the studies was not always positive, the media was persistently underlined as a possible actor/factor responsible for the promotion of stereotypes on both sides of the border. Convinced that there are no singular causes, but rather an amalgam of factor responsible for the way people in these neighbouring countries perceive each other, this empirical study tries to conduct an in-depth analysis into this one important actor: the media.
Following this project the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) has conducted a monitoring of Albanian printed media outlets for a period of seven months, starting from January 2014 to July 2014. A similar study is being conducted by the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) in Greece. What follows in the upcoming pages is the study AIIS conducted on the Albanian printed media outlets and the main findings in relation to the way Albanian media portrays the many dimensions of the Albanian-Greek relations. Although, given the short period of monitoring, this study does not pretend to reach general and representative conclusions on how the Albanian media portrays these relations; it nevertheless gives some important insights on the general picture that the media feeds to Albanians (and not only Albanians) on a
1. The studies are: Alba Çela and Sashenka Lleshaj, Albanian- Greek Relations from the Eyes of the Albanian Public: Perceptions 2013, Albanian Institute for International Studies and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Tirana, March 2014; Ioannis Armakolas, The Greek Public Opinion towards Albania and the Albanians: Social attitudes and perceptions, Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, December 2013. 5 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 daily basis. Given the limited timeframe, the quantitative dimension of this study gives modest insights, but on the other hand this is compensated and at the same time enriched by the in-depth analysis of three case studies with important topics covered in the Albanian media during the selected period.
Albanian citizens’ perceptions about Greece
The previous study on perception “Albanian-Greek relations from the eyes of the Albanian public: Perceptions 2013” reported a mixed picture of how Albanians see Greece and the Greeks. In regard to questions related to the relations between Greece and Albania, the Greek government and the Albanian government, as well as the relations between Albanians and Greeks, around half of the sample would consider these to be normal (45 percent in the first case, 52 percent in the second case and 41 percent in the third case). On a comparative view, although generally considered normal, relation between the Albanians and the Greeks scored the less while relations on the governmental level were perceived more positively.
At the same time, when digging into specific issues, the picture looks more complicated than the generally perceived ‘normal’ relationship. According to the survey, Albanian citizens thought that there were some important issues to be solved in order for relation between the two countries to improve such as: the border issue, with 46 percent of respondents rating it as the first priority; followed by the Cham issue, with 77 percent of citizens indicating it in the top three priorities; and finally the treatment of Albanian migrants in Greece, with 68 percent of respondents indicating it in the top three priorities. Equally important, while more than half of respondents answered that ‘Greece has helped Albania in the past 20 years’ the same share answered that ‘Greece is still in a state of war with Albania’ and that ‘Greece intervenes in Albania’s internal affairs through the Greek minority’, while around 80 percent think that ‘the failure to resolve the Cham issue is a huge obstacle for improving relations between Albania and Greece’. Moreover, the majority of respondents answered
6 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 that they either disagree or don’t have information about the statements that ‘Albania and Greece have signed a friendship agreement’, ‘Greek citizens support Albania’s membership in the EU’ and that ‘the Greek government has supported the process of Albania’s integration in the EU’. Finally, although 46 percent of respondents thought that no country was a threat to Albania, 19 percent answered that Greece was a threat for the country.
Although the 2013 survey report came with no ambition of having an explanatory power, yet it shortly tried to get some insights on how the above perceptions were formed or influenced by asking people on their personal or family contacts with Greece and the Greeks through questions about travelling and residence experiences in the country. The majority of respondents (57 percent) had been to Greece for short or long-term visit/stay, with 74 percent of them reporting they had worked or lived there for less than 2 years, and 45 percent of them reporting that at least one of their family members lived in Greece. What is more important is that only 6 percent of those that had lived in Greece for more than 2 years described their relations with Greeks as bad or very bad. As a result, although personal experience with Greece and the Greeks could be responsible for Albanian citizens’ perceptions over their neighbouring country, this variable is only partially accountable as it is difficult to fully explain the negative views or stereotypes that exist at a time when citizens’ reported personal experience in Greece is mainly positive.
Why to monitor and study the media?
While the above study on perceptions was useful in mapping and reporting citizens’ views, this current study tries to dig into how citizens’ views are being formed. As it is difficult to single out one responsible factor for citizens’ views and perceptions ─ as it was stated above, the personal experience can have a limited explanatory power, ─ it is helpful to look at a generally accepted shaper of public opinion such as the media.
7 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
This special attention that the study dedicates to the media comes as a result of the strong influence the media has on shaping people’s perceptions, opinions and views on many subjects and issues. It has long been argued ─ and now even axiomatically accepted in communication studies ─ that “the media is the message”.2 Thus, the message is not independent from the medium that transmits it. Most importantly, the way the message gets perceived is as much defined by the shape, connotation and the way the message gets transmitted as by the actual facts it states. Consequently, the media’s important role in shaping public opinion makes it an important object of analysis. Through this perspective, the study explores how citizens’ perceptions are affected by media through studying the way Albanian news, opinions and features portray Greece, the Greeks and the Albanian-Greek relations.
While today people are increasingly getting informed through online and social media, in Albania printed media is still substantially accessed, although the popularity is diminishing. Nevertheless, apart from Tirana Times whose online account is only accessible through subscription, the selected Albanian newspapers generally publish their printed articles in their online pages as well, thus reaching a wider audience.
2. Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The extensions of Man, Routledge, London, 1964. 8 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Executive Summary
The January-July 2015 period was very interesting for the Albanian-Greek relations due to the fact that within a short period of seven months a very diverse set of events unfolded, sending different signals in the bilateral relations. These seven months monitoring of the Albanian printed media showed that Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations are constantly covered in the Albanian media: from the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU to the granting of the EU candidate status for Albania; from the solving of issue of toponyms of birthplaces in the Albanian passports of Albanians born in Greece to the killing of an Albanian prisoner in a Greek prison; from high level bilateral visits to the administrative reform in Albania and the claims of the Greek minority. The extent and intensity of coverage depends widely on the topic, its character, its importance for the Albanian-Greek relations, the effect it can provoke in the public opinion, the potential of a certain situation to escalate further, and the momentum of a certain situation or event in one of the countries or in both of them.
This study tried to answer two main questions in relation to the articles published by the Albanian printed media: “what are the main issues the Albanian printed media covered during this seven months period in relation to Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations?” and “how did the Albanian printed media cover these issues?”. These ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions provide a general picture of the way Greece and the Albanian- Greek relations are portrayed in the Albanian media along with the main themes that accompany and define this portrayal. The study shows that despite the fact that the coverage of issues related to Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations is generally situational – depending on the different issues and cases under consideration – there is a continuation of some major themes in the general approach the media has towards Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations which is at worst negative and distrustful and at best hopeful for improvements and a new start.
9 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
What is reported?
This study analyzed a sample of 225 articles from three daily Albanian newspapers published in Albanian - Shqip, Panorama and Mapo - and one weekly Albanian newspaper published in English – Tirana Times. The study shows that the Albanian media is very sensitive towards news related to the Albanian-Greek relations given the fact that from the sample we analyzed 213 articles have been published by the three daily newspapers in 7 months, which means at least 10 articles per month/each on average. Obviously, the intensity was not consistent as it depended on the specific issues that were ‘hot’ at the moment and which attracted public opinion’s attention the most. Thus, January, April and June had a relatively high level of articles on issues related to the Albanian-Greek relations, with April being the frontrunner with 61 articles in total.
The report peaks in January, April and June were related to three issues in particular: (1) the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU and the bilateral high level visits between Albania and Greece; (2) the Kareli case: the killing of an Albanian prisoner in a Greek prison; and (3) a mix of issues, although it is mainly related to the coverage of the administrative reform in Albania and the side implications this could have for the Greek minority in Albania. Other issues covered in a more balanced way throughout this seven months period were: the issue of the toponyms of birthplaces in the Albanian passports of Albanians born in Greece, the Cham issue and issues related to the Albanian Orthodox Church.
Furthermore, from the sample we analyzed it looks like the Albanian media widely covers political and socio-political issues ─ with 62 percent and 30 percent of the sample respectively ─ which also demonstrates a hunt for sensational stories that would produce headlines and thus provoke reaction in the Albanian public opinion. Cultural or economic issues on the other hand look highly neglected representing only 4 percent of the sample we analyzed.
10 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
How are issues reported?
By using a basic content analysis with a specific emphasis on connotation this study divided articles in four main categories: positive connotation, neutral connotation, quasi-negative connotation and negative connotation articles. The study found that during this seven months period results were mixed although the negative connotation articles were the biggest group with 35 percent of the sample. The neutral connotation articles represented 28 percent of the sample while the quasi-negative articles and the positive articles followed with 24 percent and 13 percent respectively.
Despite the above ‘negative’ picture, the study showed that reporting in the Albanian media was situational, depending on the specific case under consideration, and it varied considerably from case to case. Thus, this period saw the Albanian media moving from ‘happy’ stories to ‘bitter’ ones in a very short period as it was the case with the vastly positively covered Greek Presidency of the Council of EU and the bilateral visits in January and February (with 47 percent of articles having a positive connotation) to the vastly negatively covered Kareli case (with 68 percent of articles having a negative connotation) in March and April. In between these stories and all over the period other stories were covered mainly through a neutral connotation as it was the case with the issue of toponyms of birthplaces in the Albanian passports of Albanians born in Greece (45 percent of articles had a neutral connotation).
Thus, given the above picture and especially the vehement way the Kareli case was covered in the Albanian media, the study also considered the general distortion of the data because of such an outlier and unusual case which is not representative of the Albanian-Greek relations in the long-term. Accordingly, if the data was analyzed without the Kareli case, the picture would be considerably neutral, with the neutral connotation articles representing the biggest share with 35 percent of the sample.
Although reporting in the Albanian media was situational depending on the case under consideration, there were some main themes throughout
11 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 the sample which could be noticed despite the case, especially when articles had a negative connotation. These were:
(1) Relations with Greece should be handled carefully as the country cannot be fully trusted. This theme was present throughout the study in all three case studies that were analyzed especially in the negative connotation categories of each case. In the case of the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU, the bilateral visits and the EU candidate status of Albania, the message was: Greece is a rational actor, aiming at its own interest and will certainly ask something in return for its current support to Albania and the closer ties with Albania. These articles were mainly counterbalancing the more enthusiastic ones on the subject. In the case of Kareli and the toponyms, the message was: the same old Greece that cannot be trusted when it comes to the most sensitive issues with Albania and Albanians.
(2) Greece mistreats Albanian migrants in many dimensions. This category of articles was present in both Kareli and the toponyms case and portrayed Greece as a systematic violator of Albanian migrants, that tortures them, bans them from seeing their families, bans them from entering Greece, makes their lives difficult even when they are born and have lived in Greece since then, violates their basic human rights, etc. This category of articles often was accompanied by a national collective victimization of Albania and Albanians towards Greece. These articles were also aiming at provoking an emotional effect to readers.
(3) There is a potential in the Albanian-Greek relations for a long-term partnership. This theme was present in the positive connotation articles when reporting bilateral visits and the finalization of the agreement that resolved the issue of toponyms. These articles were extensively referring to the novelty of developments with terms such as: ‘new start’, ‘new chapter’, ‘new partnership’.
(4) Albania and Greece can resolve issues but they are far from a ‘romantic affair’. This theme was mainly present in the neutral connotation articles and aimed at balancing enthusiasm for new positive 12 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
developments in the Albanian-Greek relations with the issues that are still to be discussed and solved between the countries. This theme was especially present in the case of bilateral visits and Greece’s support for Albania’s EU candidate status as well as in the May coverage of the resolution of the issue of toponymes.
To conclude, as this study will further show, there are some core persistent themes in the Albanian media discourse, although the emphasis varies in accordance with the situation under consideration and the ‘urgency’ of events.
13 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Methodology
The chosen primary research method is a basic content analysis that is quantitative and qualitative media monitoring. The content to be analyzed is composed of articles from Albanian printed media outlets (a similar analysis is used by ELIAMEP to conduct research over the Greek media outlets). This methodology is commonly used for media monitoring activities, especially during elections and certainly in academia for discourse analysis. AIIS has already used this methodology in a previous project and publication: “Albania and Serbia: Do perceptions equal reality?”3
Selecting the sample
This study monitored three Albanian daily printed media outlets ─ Shqip, Mapo and Panarama newspapers ─ and one weekly newspaper that is printed in English ─ Tirana Times. This selection was a priori made in accordance to the number of copies sold for every Albanian media outlet while Tirana Times was selected because of reaching a specific English-speaking community in Tirana, mainly composed of the foreign diplomatic missions and different international organizations in Tirana, in addition to its Albanian readers.
After this initial selection, these media outlets were monitored for a period of seven months, starting from January 2014 until July 2014. These 7 months were selected because of the very salient issues the Albanian- Greek relations went through: the Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the intensive negotiations of Albanian officials for Albania to be granted the status of the European Union candidate country, the many bilateral visits of Albanian and Greek high officials in 3. Andi Balla, Filip Ejdus & Megi Llubani, Albania and Serbia: Do perceptions equal reality?, Albanian Institute for International Studies and Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, Tirana and Belgrade, 2013. 14 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 both countries, the killing of an Albanian prisoner in Greece over alleged tortures, the resolution of the issue of the language of Greek places names in the Albanian passports of Albanians born in Greece ─ the so called issue of toponyms ─ as well as the issue of the Greek minority and the administrative reform in Albania, just to mention the most important issues. This amalgam of issues made this seven month period of high interest for exploring the way these issues are reported in the Albanian media.
In order to collect a representative sample of articles, we pre-defined a series of keywords, some of which were previously discussed in the 2013 survey such as: maritime borders, Albanian emigrants in Greece, the Cham issue, the Orthodox Church of Albania, the Greek minority in Albania, the Greek soldiers’ graveyards, the Greek pensions in Albania and Law of War. Apart from these, in order to expand the reach of as many articles as possible in relation to Albania and Greece as well as to tailor our research to the relevant 7 months the research was covering, some other keywords were added, such as: Greece, the Albanian-Greek relations, Janullatos, Venizelos, Papulias/Papoulias, Omonia, PBDNJ, PDIU, Albanian prisoners in Greece, Ilia Kareli/Kudret Kume, the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU and the issue of toponyms. Through these keywords4, a computerized blind search was conducted over a major database of scanned newspaper articles. Given the wide number of keywords used and the accuracy of the method applied in selecting the articles, we believe the sample is representative of the wider population of articles covering different dimensions of the Albanian-Greek relations.
This search resulted in 480 articles of which 225 were relevant articles. This halving of the number of articles occurred for three reasons: (1) a considerable part of articles were overlapping in different keywords, for example those articles that showed up for the Venizelos search, also
4. The search was done with keywords in Albanian in the case of Shqip, Mapo and Panorama and English in the case of Tirana Times. The words were grammatically adopted during search in order for different grammatical form of the words to show up. In the case of Albanian words, the root of the word was used in order to cover the ending change in different case. 15 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 showed up for the Greek Presidency of the EU/CE and Greece keywords as more than one keyword was present in the body article; (2) the blind search would not distinguish between a cover newspaper article and its replication in the inside of the newspaper and would count the article twice if a specific keyword was found in its title ─ thus making the article appear in the cover page and inside pages simultaneously; (3) a share of articles were not relevant to this research and this happened mainly with those articles that referred to Albania’s internal partisan politics, as was the case with PDIU negotiations with other parties or the government in the Albanian Parliament and no reference was made to issues concerning the Albanian-Greek relations, the Greek minority in Albania, the Cham issue, or any other issue that would be of primary or secondary importance or relevance to our study.
How is connotation defined?
A central part of this study is the basic content analysis which is conducted through a thorough analysis of every article’s connotation, main themes and discourse used. Special attention has been paid to defining connotation and the way information is transmitted. The study initially pre-established three main categories to define connotation: negative, positive and neutral, but when the content analysis of articles started, it was clear that a fourth category was needed to make analysis more accurate: the quasi-negative connotation articles.
The method used to define articles’ connotation was in accordance to the language, tone and specific words usage. This was a peculiar part of the methodology as there were some standards to be set in order for the definition to be consistent and leave as little space as possible for inconsistent interpretation throughout the study. The categorization was done in the following way:
- An article was classified as having a negative connotation when: (1) words such as conflict, violation, problem/atic, distrust, mistreatment,
16 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
discrepancies, unresolved, etc, were used; (2) there was a noticeable opinion, position or view expressed from the reporter/author of the article and the tone was emphasizing a negative aspects of a situation; (3) there were specific pictures, boxes or highlights that mapped a general negative image to the readers’ first impact with the article.
- An article was defined as quasi-negative when the first condition was there of the words and language used, but it was difficult to notice the author’s stances on the matter and the reporting in general terms was neutral ─ with many citations and little paraphrasing or sentences that would express and opinion or stance. Nevertheless, this category could not be classified as neutral because of the negative tone that accompanied it and the specific selection from the author/editor of the topic and the one-sided citations, including the physical space given to the article in the newspaper. 5
- An article was defined as neutral when a moderate language was used, there were citations from both sides of an issue and the reporting did not have a vehement tone. At the same time, the picture used and the space given was moderate and did not leave the reader with any special negative or positive impressions.
- An article was defined as positive, when: (1) words such cooperation, agreement, partnership, solution, friendship, improvement, support, etc, were used; (2) there was a noticeable opinion, position or view expressed from the reporter/author of the article and the tone was emphasizing a positive aspects of a situation; (3) there were specific pictures, boxes or highlights that mapped a general positive image to the readers’ first impact with the article.
Although these standards make classification systematic to a certain
5. Quasi-positive would be the symmetric category, but we assessed there was no need for such a category given the fact that those articles that were reporting positive facts were vastly voicing positive aspects of the issue and there were statistically insignificant cases of moderate positive reporting. 17 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 degree, it is impossible in this specific case to entirely objectify the researcher’s judgment of the connotation of a specific article.
Selecting case studies
This study assessed that the media monitoring would not be fully completed with the quantitative data on topics covered and the connotation accompanying them, and thus an in-depth analysis of specific case studies was needed to answer the questions that statistical data usually leaves unanswered. Accordingly, three case studies were selected that cover both negative and positive aspects of the Albanian- Greek relations relevant to the January-July 2014 period (not limited only to this timeframe though).
18 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Main findings and analysis
How do the media report on Albanian-Greek relations and how are these relations portrayed? In trying to answer the above question, this chapter provides the core analysis of the study in two main sections. The first section provides the general quantitative information on the articles’ nature and spread as well as on the issues’ coverage and the connotation Mainfindings. findings The and sec ondanalysis section focuses on the in-depth analysis of three Howc doase the studies: media report (1) The on bilaAlbanianteral‐Greek visits relations of Greek and and how Albanian are these relationshigh officials portrayed? in In tryingthe to answerneighbouri the aboveng cquestion,ountry; this (2) chapter The K providesareli case: the core an Albaniananalysis of the prisoner study in twodies main sections.after The reported first section tortures provides b they the general prison’ quantitatives guards; information (3) The on resolution the articles’ of nature the and spreadissue as well of tasoponyms on the issues’ of birthplacescoverage and thein theconnotation Albanian findings. passports The second of Albanians section focuses on theborn in‐depth in Greece. analysis of three case studies: (1) The bilateral visits of Greek and Albanian high officials in the neighbouring country; (2) The Kareli case: an Albanian prisoner dies after reported tortures by the prison’s guards; (3) The resolution of the issue of toponyms of birthplaces in the AlbanianThe passports general of Albanianspicture born in Greece. The general picture For the 225 articles, the spread per newspaper is as follows: the bigger For theshar 225e isarticles, from the Shqip spread with per newspaper88 articles, is as f ollowedfollows: the b ybigger Mapo share with is from 66 Shqiparticles with 88 articles,and followed Panorama by Mapo and with Tir ana66 articles Times and with Panorama 59 and and 12 Tirana articles Times r espectively.with 59 and 12 F articlesor respectively.obvious For r easonsobvious reasonsthe Albanian the Albanian daily daily ne newspapers’wspapers’ volume volume of articles of articles is much higheris comparedmuch to higher the weekly compared English newspaper to the weekly Tirana Times. English newspaper Tirana Times.
The number of articles per newspaper
88
66 59
12
Shqip Mapo Panorama Tirana Times
ChartChart 11 Moreover, articles were classified according to their focus in defining whether or not the19 Albanian‐ Greek relations (or any aspect of these relations) and/or Greece were the central focus of the articles of this study’s sample. From Chart 2 below, it is visible that 85 percent of the sample focused on the Albanian‐Greek relations or any issue directly related with these relations and the remaining 15 percent focused on domestic issues of both countries which could have an indirect impact on the neighbouring country or on the Albanian‐Greek relations. It should be noted that the majority of those articles that did not have a direct focus on the Albanian‐Greek relations but that could affect Greece or bilateral relations were those articles related to the administrative reform in Albania and the Greek minority. In many cases these articles shortly addressed the Greek minority and this
12
Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Moreover, articles were classified according to their focus in defining whether or not the Albanian-Greek relations (or any aspect of these relations) and/or Greece were the central focus of the articles of this study’s sample. From Chart 2 below, it is visible that 85 percent of the sample focused on the Albanian-Greek relations or any issue directly related with these relations and the remaining 15 percent focused on domestic issues of both countries which could have an indirect impact on the neighbouring country or on the Albanian-Greek relations. It should be noted that the majority of those articles that did not have a direct focus on the Albanian-Greek relations but that could affect Greece or bilateral relations were those articles related to the administrative reform in Albania and the Greek minority. In many cases these articles shortly addressed the Greek minority and this community’s community’sconcerns concerns with twithhe a thedministrative administrative reform, reform, but but the the articles’ articles’ focus focus w wasas d different.ifferent. While these articlesWhile werethese relevant articles to thiswere research, relevant the tstudyo this should research, still report the themstudy as s ahould specific s tillcategory of articles.report them as a specific category of articles.
Articles' focus:
Focusing directly on Albanian‐ 15% Greek relations
Focusing on domestic issues of 85% both countries and/or into issues that affect indirectly bilatarela relations
ChartChart 2 2 In addition to this basic newspaper‐based and focus based categorization, the articles were also groupedIn inadditi accordanceon to this to thebasic main ne wspaper-basedissues they covered and. Thus, focus the based six main categorization, categories of issues coveredthe during articles the seven were months also thegrouped study monitored in accordance are: the Karelito the issue; main the Greek issues Presidency they of the Councilcovered of EU. Thus, and the the high six levelmain bilateral categories visits; of the issues administrative covered reformduring in the Albania seven and the Greek minority;months thethe issue study of toponyms;monitored the ar Chame: the issue; Kareli and issue; the Albanian the Gr Orthodoxeek Presidency Church. As it is visible offrom the Chart Council 3, coverage of EU ofand the the Ilia Karelihigh leissuevel wasbila predominantteral visits; comparedthe adminis to thetrative rest of the issues withreform 66 articles. in Albania This was and followed the Gr byeek 45 articlesminority; on the the Greek issue Presidency of toponyms; of the Council the of EU and the high level bilateral visits and 44 articles on the administrative reform in Albania and the Greek minority.20 The coverage of these three issues counted for almost 70 percent of the sample.6 The toponyms issue, the Cham issue and the Albanian Orthodox Church were covered by 29 articles, 21 articles and 9 articles respectively. Other issues, from economic matters to historic account of language origins, were covered by 14 articles in total.7
As stated in the chapter’s introduction,f three o these cases will be analyzed in detail in the final section in order to get more insights on the way these were reported in the media.
6 It should be noted that the articles on the administrative reform in Albania and the Greek minority were not always directly related the Greek‐Albanian issues or the Greek minority, although they were classified as relevant to our study because of secondarily mentioning the way the reform would affect the minority. 7 It should be noted that three articles are overlapping in the category of the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU and the high level bilateral visits with the issue of toponyms because of articles covering both issues. This is the case with the visit of the Greek Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Evangelos Venizelos in Tirana and the discussion of the issue of toponyms. These articles were counted twice as they were grouped in both categories for the in‐depth case study.
13
Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Cham issue; and the Albanian Orthodox Church. As it is visible from Chart 3, coverage of the Ilia Kareli issue was predominant compared to the rest of the issues with 66 articles. This was followed by 45 articles on the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU and the high level bilateral visits and 44 articles on the administrative reform in Albania and the Greek minority. The coverage of these three issues counted for almost 70 percent of the sample.6 The toponyms issue, the Cham issue and the Albanian Orthodox Church were covered by 29 articles, 21 articles and 9 articles respectively. Other issues, from economic matters to historic account of language origins, were covered by 14 articles in total.7
As stated in the chapter’s introduction, three of these cases will be analyzed in detail in the final section in order to get more insights on the way these were reported in the media.
Articles per issue 66
45 44
29 21 14 9
Ilia Kareli Bilateral vizits The The issue of The Çam issue The Albanian Others and the Greek administrative toponyms Orthodox Presidency of EC reform and the Church greek minority
ChartChart 3 3 When it comes to the monthly spread of articles, although there is a major peak in April with 61 6. It should be noted that the articles on the administrative reform in Albania and the articles and two smaller ones in January and June with 32 and 34 articles respectively, there are no Greek minority were not always directly related the Greek-Albanian issues or the Greek extreme oscillations, meaning that issues on Greece and/or the Albanian‐Greek relation are a minority, although they were classified as relevant to our study because of secondarily constant topic in the Albanian media, despite special developments worth of closer attention. It is mentioning the way the reform would affect the minority. interesting to study the peaks as they are related to the main themes/issues discussed above. Thus, 7. It should be noted that three articles are overlapping in the category of the Greek the April peak is a result of the wide and intensive coverage of the Kareli issue, while the January Presidency of the Council of EU and the high level bilateral visits with the issue of peaktoponyms is related bec toause the of Greek articles Presidency covering of boththe Councilissues. ofThis EU is and the the case bilateral with thehigh visit level of visits the betweenGreek Deputy Albania andPrime Greece. Minis Theter third and peak Minis is moreter of of F aoreign mix of issues,Affairs, although Evangelos it is mainlyVenizelos related in toTir theana coverage and the of dis thecussion administrative of the issureforme of in t oponyms.Albania. These articles were counted twice as they were grouped in both categories for the in-depth case study. Total number of articles per month 21 61
32 34 28 23 25 22
January February March April May June July
Chart 4
At this point it is important also to notice the monthly spread of articles per newspaper in order to see if the Chart 4 general monthly spread is a result of a specific newspaper’s coverage or whether it represents a general trend, despite single newspapers. As Chart 5 clearly shows, there is an interesting coherence among the different newspapers’ coverage intensity of the issues we studied. If the graph of every newspaper article spread per month would be seen separately, then the same January‐April‐June peaks would be noticed. Accordingly, the high coverage peaks noticed in the previous chart are an aggregation of all the single newspapers’ peaks in April, January and June.
14
Articles per issue 66
45 44
29 21 14 9
Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 Ilia Kareli Bilateral vizits The The issue of The Çam issue The Albanian Others and the Greek administrative toponyms Orthodox When it cPresidencyomes to of theEC reform monthly and the spread of articles, althoughChurch ther e is a major peak in April with 61greek articles minority and two smaller ones in January and June
with 32 and 34 articles respectively,Chart ther3 e are no extreme oscillations, meaning that issues on Greece and/or the Albanian-Greek relation are When ait comesconstant to the topic monthly in the spread Albanian of articles media,, although despit theree specialis a major de peakvelopments in April with 61 articlesw andorth two of smaller closer ones attention. in January It isand in Juneteresting with 32 to and study 34 articles the peak respectively,s as the ythere are are no extremerelated oscillations, to the meaning main themes/issues that issues on Greecediscussed and/or abo theve. AlbanianThus, the‐Greek April relation peak are a constantis atopic result in the of theAlbanian wide media, and in despitetensive special coverage developments of the K areliworth issue, of closer while attention. the It is interestingJanuar to studyy peak the is peaks related as they to theare relatedGreek toPr theesidency main themes/issues of the Council discussed of EU above. and Thus, the Aprilthe peak bila isteral a result high of le thevel wide visits and be intensivetween Albania coverage and of the Gr eece.Kareli issue,The thir whiled peakthe January peak isis related more ofto athe mix Greek of issues, Presidency although of the it Council is mainly of EU related and the to bilateralthe coverage high level of visits betweenthe Albania administrative and Greece. reform The third in peak Albania. is more of a mix of issues, although it is mainly related to the coverage of the administrative reform in Albania.
Total number of articles per month 61
32 34 28 23 25 22
January February March April May June July
ChartChart 44 At this point it is important also to notice the monthly spread of articles per newspaper in order to see if theAt Chartthis poin4 generalt it is monthly import spreadant also is a resultto notice of a specific the mon newspaper’sthly spread coverage of articles or whether it representsper newspapera general trend, in or despiteder to singlesee if newspapers. the Chart 4As g eneralChart 5 monclearlythly shows, spread there is is an interestinga result coherence of a amongspecific the ne differentwspaper’s newspapers’ coverage coverage or whe intensityther ofit therepresents issues we astudied. If the graphgeneral of every trend, newspaper despite article single spread newspapers. per month As would Chart be 5 seen clearly separately, shows, then ther thee same Januaryis‐April an ‐inJuneteresting peaks would coherence be noticed. among Accordingly, the diff erentthe high ne coveragewspapers’ peaks coverage noticed in the previousin tensitychart are of an the aggregation issues w eof s tudied.all the single If the newspapers’ graph of e peaksvery nein wspaperApril, January article and June. spread per month would be seen separately, then the same January- April-June peaks would be noticed. Accordingly, the high coverage 14 peaks noticed in the previous chart are an aggregation of all the single
22 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
newspapers’ peaks in April, January and June. Thus, it is clear that the ‘hot’ topics of a certain period were paid special attention to throughout
Thus,the it Albanianis clear that mediathe ‘hot’ topicsand notof a certainonly frperiodom werespecific paid specialoutlier attentions. Nevertheless, to throughout itthe Albanianis difficult media t ando es nottablish only from causes specific and outliers. effects Nevertheless, at this stage it is difficultbecause to establish the abo causesve andmen effectstioned at this media stage because coverage the above popularity mentioned of media ‘hot coverage’ topics popularity has pr ofobably ‘hot’ topics also has probablycontributed also contributed for the for topics the topics to tobecome become ‘hot’‘hot’ in thein the first place.first place.
Articles of each newspaper per month
Tirana Times Panorama Mapo Shqip 24
21 13 11 11 9 12 8 10 10 7 13 9 7 2 12 6 8 7 7 3 6 3 2 1 1 1 1 January February March April May June July
Chart 5 Chart 5 Finally, articles were categorized according to their nature into articles that dealt with: political, socio‐political, social, cultural and economic issues. Out of 225 articles, 62 percent were dealing with Finally, articles were categorized according to their nature into articles that political issues, followed by 30 percent that dealt with socio‐political issues and the remaining 8 percentdealt werewith: articles political, dealing socio-po with social,litical, cultural social, and cultureconomical andissues. ec Althoughonomic theissues. chosen keywordsOut of could225 articles,be partially 62 responsible percent for w erethe dealingprevalence with of articles politic thatal issues,deal with f ollowedpolitical and socioby‐ political30 per issues,cent thaa cleart dealt tendency with can socio-politic be noticed inal the issues Albanian and printed the rmediaemaining to publish 8 articlespercent of a politicalwere articlesand socio ‐politicaldealing nature, with which social, in the cultur case ofal thisand study ec onomicrepresent 92issues. percent ofAlthough the sample. the chosen keywords could be partially responsible for the prevalence of articles that deal with political and socio-political issues, a clear tendency canDivision be noticed of articles in accordingthe Albanian to their prin natureted media to publish 1% articles of a political4% and3% socio-political nature, which in the case of this study represent 92 percent of the sample. Political Socio‐political 30% Social 62% Cultural Economic
Chart 6 23
Connotation: how issues were reported
Answering how the Albanian media reports and subsequently portrays Greece and/or the Albanian‐ Greek relations requires conducting a detailed content analysis over the published articles.
15
Thus, it is clear that the ‘hot’ topics of a certain period were paid special attention to throughout the Albanian media and not only from specific outliers. Nevertheless, it is difficult to establish causes and effects at this stage because the above mentioned media coverage popularity of ‘hot’ topics has probably also contributed for the topics to become ‘hot’ in the first place.
Articles of each newspaper per month
Tirana Times Panorama Mapo Shqip 24
21 13 11 11 9 12 8 10 10 7 13 9 7 2 12 6 8 7 7 3 6 3 2 1 1 1 1 January February March April May June July
Chart 5
Finally, articles were categorized according to their nature into articles that dealt with: political, socio‐political, social, cultural and economic issues. Out of 225 articles, 62 percent were dealing with political issues, followed by 30 percent that dealt with socio‐political issues and the remaining 8 percent were articles dealing with social, cultural and economic issues. Although the chosen keywords could be partially responsible for the prevalence of articles that deal with political and socio‐political issues, a clear tendency can be noticed in the Albanian printed media to publish articles of a political and socio‐political nature, which in the case of this study represent 92 percent Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 of the sample.
Division of articles according to their nature 1% 4% 3%
Political Socio‐political 30% Social 62% Cultural Economic
ChartChart 66 Connotation: how issues were reported Connotation: how issues were reported Answering how the Albanian media reports and subsequently portrays Greece and/or the Albanian‐ GreekAnswering relations requireshow t heconducting Albanian a detailedmedia contentreports analysisand s ubsequentlyover the published portrays articles. Greece and/or the Albanian-Greek relations requires conducting a detailed 15 content analysis over the published articles. Connotation is an interesting tool to explore how issues are covered, how they are reported, how actors are portrayed, what is directly stated and what is being intended by a specific title, topic or information box and finally what is the purpose of such an article, what is the main message the article is trying to give and equally important, what is the logical and emotional reaction the article generally provokes to readers. Thus, defining connotation is a complex endeavour of answering many ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions simultaneously.
As explained in the previous chapter on methodology, in accordance to the used language, tone and specific words, as well as the article’s visualization and subjective statements, articles were categories in four main connotation groups: Positive, Neutral, Quasi-negative and Negative. Chart 7 visualises the findings from the general classification of 225 articles into connotation groups. Thus, the negative connotation articles are the biggest group that make up 35 percent of the sample followed by the neutral articles with 28 percent, the quasi-negative articles with 24 percent and the positive articles with 13 percent. If we consider the negative and quasi-negative articles on the one side
24 Connotation is an interesting tool to explore how issues are covered, how they are reported, how actors are portrayed, what is directly stated and what is being intended by a specific title, topic or information box and finally what is the purpose of such an article, what is the main message the article is trying to give and equally important, what is the logical and emotional reaction the article generally provokes to readers. Thus, defining connotation is a complex endeavour of answering many ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions simultaneously.
As explained in the previous chapter on methodology, in accordance to the used language, tone and specific words, as well as the article’s visualization and subjective statements, articles were categories in four main connotation groups: Positive, Neutral, Quasi‐negative and Negative. Chart 7 visualises the findings from the general classification of 225 articles into connotation groups. Thus, the negative connotation articles are the biggest group that make up 35 percent of the sample followedGreece by the andneutral the articles Albanian-Greek with 28 percent, relations the quasiin the‐negative Albanian articles printed with media24 percent 2014 and the positive articles with 13 percent. If we consider the negative and quasi‐negative articles on the one sideand and the the p positive ositive a ndand neutral neutral ones oonnes the oother,n the than other, more tthanhan half more of the than sample half (59 o percent)f the aresample articles ( with59 p aercent) negative a orre quasi articles‐negative with connotation. a negative or quasi-negative connotation.
Division of articles according to their connotation
Positive Quasi‐negative Neutral Negative
Negative 35%
Neutral 28%
Quasi‐negative 24%
Positive 13%
Chart 7 Chart 7 If we have a look at the connotation distribution per newspaper in Chart 8 it can be noticed that for Panorama and Shqip the negative connotation articles have the biggest share with 42 percent and If we have a look at the connotation distribution per newspaper in Chart 38 percent respectively. Furthermore, the negative and quasi‐negative connotation articles in these newspapers8 it can be make noticed up for morethat thanfor Phalfanorama of the respective and Shqip samples the in neg theseative newspapers. connotation Mapo has anarticles equal distribution have the of big negative,gest shar quasie ‐withnegative 42 andper neutralcent and articles 38 perwithcent 29 percent respectively. for each of theseFurthermor categories.e, Half the of Tirananegative Times’ andarticles quasi-neg are neutralative and 1/4 cthonnotation of its samples’ articles articles have in a positivethese connotation. newspapers Tirana mak Times’e up moderate for mor coveragee than can half be explainedof the r espectivewith the specific samples audience thisin newspaperthese ne seeks.wspapers. Mapo has an equal distribution of negative, quasi- negative and neutral articles with 29 percent for each of these categories. Half of Tirana Times’ articles are neutral and 1/4th of its samples’ articles have a positive connotation. Tirana Times’ moderate coverage can be explained with the specific audience this newspaper seeks.
Connotation categories per newspaper
Positive Neutral Quasi‐negative Negative 16 17% 29% 38% 42% 8%
29% 19% 50% 28% 30% 29% 22% 25% 14% 8% 13% Shqip Panorama Mapo Tirana Times
ChartChart 8 8 The seven months covered by this study were quite active in terms of the new and ongoing developments in the Albanian‐Greek relations, but at the same time it is difficult to generalize on25 the Albanian printed media reporting on Greece and the Albanian‐Greek relations by looking at these seven months exclusively. It is especially important to notice that at some point in this timeframe happened a not very common episode for the two countries: the Kareli case. This case ─ as it will be discussed in detail in the next section ─ was extensively covered in a negative and quasi‐negative way throughout the Albanian media, thus making our general data on connotation significantly shift towards the negative side of the connotation spectrum. Although this is not an artificial shift ─ given the fact that this is the actual coverage of the story ─ it is nevertheless a single‐spotted extreme event which is not necessarily representative of broader trends of the modalities and connotation of media coverage in Albania.
In order to have a better picture of the usual and more common coverage of the Albanian‐Greek relations or issues related to them, below it is visualized the connotation spread without the articles on the Kareli case. From Chart 9, it is clear that the Kareli case had an important effect on the general connotation spread of the study’s sample. Accordingly, the more ‘normal’ picture of the Albanian printed media coverage is a neutral one, although the negative and quasi‐negative articles make up to 47 percent of the sample.
Division of articles according to their connotation without the Kareli case
Positive Negative Quasi‐negative Neutral
Neutral 34%
Quasi‐negative 25%
Negative 22%
Positive 19%
Chart 9
17
Connotation categories per newspaper
Positive Neutral Quasi‐negative Negative Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 17% 38% 29% The seven months covered 42%by this study were quite active in 8%terms of the 29% new and o19%ngoing developments in the Albanian-Greek relations,50% but at the same time it is difficult28% to generalize on the Albanian printed media 30% 29% 22% reporting on Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations by looking25% at these seven months14% exclusively. It 8%is especially important13% to notice that at some point in thisShqip timeframe happenedPanorama a not veryMapo common episodeTirana fTimesor the two countries: the Kareli case. This case as it will be discussed in detail in the Chart─ 8 next section ─ was extensively covered in a negative and quasi-negative way Thethroughout seven months the covered Albanian by mthisedia, study thus were m akingquite active our g ineneral terms d ofata the on new connotation and ongoing developmentssignificantly in theshift Albanian towards‐Greek t relations,he negative but at stheide same of timethe itc onnotationis difficult to generalize spectrum. on the AlbanianAlthough printed this media is n otreporting an artificial on Greece shift and the given Albanian the‐Greek fact trelationshat this by i slooking the a ctualat these seven months exclusively. It is especially important─ to notice that at some point in this timeframe coverage of the story it is nevertheless a single-spotted extreme event happened a not very common episode─ for the two countries: the Kareli case. This case ─ as it will be discussedwhich inis detailnot n inecessarily the next section representative ─ was extensively of b roadercovered tinrends a negative of t heand m quasiodalities‐negative wayand throughout connotation the Albanian of m ediamedia, coverage thus making in ourAlbania. general data on connotation significantly shift towards the negative side of the connotation spectrum. Although this is not an artificial shift ─ given theIn fact order that tothis h aveis the a actual better coverage picture of othef t storyhe u sual─ it is a neverthelessnd more c ommona single‐spotted coverage extreme event which is not necessarily representative of broader trends of the modalities and connotation of mediaof t coveragehe Albanian-Greek in Albania. relations or issues related to them, below it is visualized the connotation spread without the articles on the Kareli In corderase. toFrom have Ca hartbetter 9 picture, it is c oflear the t usualhat t andhe Kmoreareli common case h coveragead an i mportantof the Albanian effect‐Greek relationson the or gissueseneral related connotation to them, belowt s preadi is visualized of the the s connotationtudy’s sample. spread without Accordingly, the articles ont hethe mKareliore case. ‘normal’ From Chart picture 9, it iso fclear the that Albanian the Kareli p rintedcase had m anedia important coverage effect onis athe general connotation spread of the study’s sample. Accordingly, the more ‘normal’ picture of the neutral one, although the negative and quasi-negative articles make up Albanian printed media coverage is a neutral one, although the negative and quasi‐negative articles maketo 4up7 top ercent47 percent o fof t thehe sample.sample.
Division of articles according to their connotation without the Kareli case
Positive Negative Quasi‐negative Neutral
Neutral 34%
Quasi‐negative 25%
Negative 22%
Positive 19%
Chart 9 Chart 9 17 26 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Case studies
After getting a sense of the general picture of the Albanian media coverage of many issues related to the Albanian-Greek relations over a seven months period, this section will give some more insights into how specific cases were reported and will analyze the specific themes that accompanied their coverage. The order these case studies will be analyzed is chronological, starting from the beginning with the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU and the bilateral visits of Greek and Albanian high officials in the neighbouring country in January and February, to go on with the Kareli case in late March and April and finishing with the resolution of the issue of the toponyms, which was disused throughout the seven months period until being resolved in May.
The reason why these three stories were chosen to be analyzed in more detail, apart from the media attention they attracted, is also because of representing three different dimension of cooperation or conflict in the Albanian-Greek relations: the happy story, the bitter story and the mixed story. Thus, the in-depth analysis will explore how the Albanian-Greek relations and Greece as a country are portrayed when three different stories are under considerations. Are there cleavages depending on the specific ‘hot’ story of the moment or is there a continuation in the image the media transmits to the audience?
27 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
1. The happy story: the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU and the bilateral visits of Greek and Albanian high officials
Situational background
From 1 January to 30 June 2014 it was Greece’s turn to hold the rolling Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The start of the Hellenic Presidency of Council of EU was met with enthusiasm by the Albanian state officials who were hoping for Greece to be an active advocate of granting Albania the much pursued EU candidate country status. Prior to the Hellenic Presidency, in December 2013 the Council of the EU had postponed the decision on granting Albania the candidate status for the end of June given the requirements from the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, France, the Czech Republic and Spain to see further progress in Albania with reforms.
The beginning of January 2014 found Albanian high officials with an already prepared lobbying agenda for the main European capitals, especially towards those countries that had been skeptic in December. As Greece had expressed its support for Albania’s candidate status even before, the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU would thus serve to reinforce the momentum Albanian officials were hoping to get for their national cause. This actually proved to be the case as Albania was granted the EU candidate country status on June 24, 2014 and this was mentioned as one of the achievements of the Greek Presidency of the European Council.8
Apart from the candidate status of Albania, there was an already flourishing momentum in the Albanian-Greek bilateral relations with intensive high level visits going on between Tirana and Athens since the previous year. There were some important bilateral issues to be solved such as: the delimitation of the maritime borders and the renewed efforts in finding a solution after the
8. Gr2014eu, Results of the Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the European Union 1 January – 30 June 2014. Online: http://www.gr2014.eu/home?page=1. 28 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Constitutional Court of Albania nullified as non-constitutional the previously reached Agreement for the Delimitation of the Greek-Albanian Continental Shelf and Maritime Zones of April 2009;9 the preservation of the memorial cemeteries of WWII Greek soldiers in Albania; the situation of Albanian migrant in Greece; the law of war in Greece; on the and the most recently emerged issue of the inability to travel to Greece of Albanians born in Greece because the toponyms of the birthplaces in their Albanian passports were written in the Albanian language;10 etc.
As a result of the above mentioned bilateral and EU-related issues, intensive visits took place between high officials in Albania and Greece during January and February. The first visit for 2014 was held in 14-15 January 2015 by the Albanian Defence Minister, Mimi Kodheli in Athens following an invitation from her Greek counterpart, Dimitris Avramopoulos. Apart from the meeting with the Greek Defence Minister, Avramopoulos, where more technical issues of cooperation in the field of defense were discussed, Kodheli also met with the the Prime Minister of Greece, Antonis Samaras and the President Karolos Papulias.11
The second visit was held on 5 February 2015 when the Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ditmir Bushati visited Athens in the context of the 16th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative and also at the strategic conference of the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR). Bushati met with the Greek President Karolos Papoulias, Prime Minister Andonis Samaras and his counterpart, Evangelos Venizelos. Besides regional issues, Bushati spoke about bilateral concerns with Athens, including the joint maritime border and Albanian immigrants.12
9. International Boundary Research Unit (IBRU). (2010). Albanian constitutional court nullifies maritime boundary agreement with Greece. Durham University. Online: https:// www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/news/boundary_news/?itemno=9534&rehref=%2Fibru%2Fnews%2 F&resubj=Boundary+news%20Headlines. 10. This final issue will be explained in more detail in the third case study. 11. Ministry of Defense, Republic of Albania, Defence Minister Kodheli official visit to Greece, 14-15 January 2014. Online: http://www.mod.gov.al/arkiv/eng/index. php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2470:defence-minister-kodheli-official-visit- to-greece-14-15-january-2014&catid=320:activitis-a-analysis&Itemid=661. 12. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Bushati travels to Athens in the framework of 29 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
The last visit of this series was held on 20-21 February by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Evangelos Venizelos13 in Tirana as part of his Balkan tour in the framework of the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU. Apart from the core meeting with his Albanian counterpart, Bushati, where bilateral and EU-related issues were discussed, Venizelos also met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, President Bujar Nishani and Parliament Spokesmen Ilir Meta.
General quantitative data on coverage
Media’s attention towards the Albanian-Greek bilateral visits and the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU in terms of amount of articles was as Panorama fpublishedollows: S hqip11 articles, published Mapo 21 apublishedrticles, P anorama8 articles pandublished Tirana 1 Times1 articles, published Mapo 4 articles (Chart 10). published 8 articles and Tirana Times published 4 articles (Chart 10).
Number of articles per newspaper 21
11 8 4
Shqip Panorama Mapo Tirana Times
Chart 10 10 As mentioned in the previous section, the January and February coverage peak of articles related to As mentioned in the previous section, the January and February coverage the Albanian‐Greek relations was mainly a result of the media’s focus on this topic. Chart 11 shows peak of articles related to the Albanian-Greek relations was mainly that during January (with 18 articles) and February (with 19 articles) media was intensively dealing a result of the media’s focus on this topic. Chart 11 shows that during with the bilateralJanuar yvisits, (with while 18 articles)on March, and May February and June (with less attention19 articles) was mediapaid to w theseas issues although there were some articles on the candidate status and the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU as theAII decision Ministerial on the Meeting status, (February was approaching. 04, 2014). Online: http://www.punetejashtme.gov. al/en/press-office/news/minister-bushati-travels-to-athens-in-the-framework-of-aii- It is interestingministerial&page=9. and important to notice that in April not a single article on this topic was published in 13. It should be noted that Venizelos visited Albania even in October 2013, thus prior to the media thiswe seriesstudied. of meetings. As the second case study will show, media at the time was focusing on another ‘hot’ topic ─ the Kareli case ─ that was far more sensitive to the Albanian public opinion 30 and left no space for coverage of the positive developments in the Albanian‐Greek relations.
Number of articles per month 18 19
3 2 2 0 1
January February March April May June July
Chart 11
Connotation
How was the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU and the following high level bilateral visits covered throughout the Albanian printed media and which were some of the main themes accompanying its coverage? From Chart 12 it is clear that almost half of the articles on this topic had a positive connotation and 38 percent neutrally reported on the issues. Only 16 percent of articles discussed or reported the issue through a negative or quasi‐negative connotation.
20
Panorama published 11 articles, Mapo published 8 articles and Tirana Times published 4 articles (Chart 10).
Number of articles per newspaper 21
11 8 4
Shqip Panorama Mapo Tirana Times
Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 Chart 10
As mentionedintensively in the previous dealing section, with the the bila Januaryteral visits, and February while on coverage March, Mapeaky andof articles June related to the Albanianless‐Greek attention relations was was paid mainly to these a result issues of althoughthe media’s ther focuse w ereon this some topic. articles Chart 11 shows on the candidate status and the Greek Presidency of the Council of EU as that during January (with 18 articles) and February (with 19 articles) media was intensively dealing the decision on the status was approaching. with the bilateral visits, while on March, May and June less attention was paid to these issues although there were some articles on the candidate status and the Greek Presidency of the Council It is interesting and important to notice that in April not a single article of EU as the decision on the status was approaching. on this topic was published in the media we studied. As the second case It is interestingstudy and will important show, media to notice at thethat timein April w asnot f ocusinga single articleon another on this ‘hottopic’ wastopic published in the media ─we the studied. Kareli Ascase the ─ second that w caseas far study mor ewill sensitiv show,e media to the at Albanian the time publicwas focusing on opinion and left no space for coverage of the positive developments in another ‘hot’ topic ─ the Kareli case ─ that was far more sensitive to the Albanian public opinion the Albanian-Greek relations. and left no space for coverage of the positive developments in the Albanian‐Greek relations.
Number of articles per month 18 19
3 2 2 0 1
January February March April May June July
ChartChart 11 Connotation Connotation How was the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU and the following high level bilateral visits covered throughout the Albanian printed media and which were some of the main themes How was the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU and the following accompanyinghigh its le velcoverage? bilateral From visits Chart covered 12 it is thr clearoughout that almost the Albanian half of the prin articlested media on this topic had a positive connotationand which wandere 38 some percent of the neutrally main reportedthemes accon ompanyingthe issues. Only its c16overage? percent of articles discussed orFr omreported Chart the 12 issue it is clearthrough tha at negativealmost halfor quasi of the‐negative articles connotation. on this topic had a positive connotation and 38 percent neutrally reported on the issues. Only 16 percent of articles discussed or reported the issue through a negative or quasi-negative connotation. 20
31 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Division of articles according to their connotation
Positive 47%
Neutral 38%
Quasi‐negative 9%
Negative 7%
Chart 12 Chart 12 The positive language that accompanied the coverage of this topic emphasized three main themes: resolutionThe of positiv bilaterale problemslanguag, ea newtha tchapter accompanied in the Albanian the‐ Greekcoverage relations of andthis the t opicpartnership potentialemphasiz. Throughouted thr theee articles main over themes: the meetings resolution in Tirana of bilateraland Athens, problems the most ,common a new words and phraseschapter to indescribe the Albanian-Greek the meeting results relations were: andpositive the partnershipspirit, final resolution, potential bilateral. cooperation,Throughout strategic the partner, articles support over for the the mee status,tings the in opening Tirana ofand a new Athens, chapter, the friendly nations,mos warmt c ommonatmosphere w ordsand trust.and Thisphr asesgeneral to euphoriadescribe was the visible mee eventing fromresults titles and headlineswere: such positivas “Samarase spirit, welcomes final Bushati: resolution, A trusting bila atmosphereteral cooperation, for the open s issues”,trategic “Greece promisespartner lobbing, supportfor the status”, for the “Venizelos: status, Toponyms,the opening a final of solution” a new andchap “Greece:ter, friendly the EU status of Albanianations, within wourarm Presidency”. atmosphere Moreover, and trusthe spacet. This dedicated general to euphoria these articles was was visible quite broad, some of which made it to the first pages of the newspaper. even from titles and headlines such as “Samaras welcomes Bushati: A The neutraltrusting reporting atmosphere had morefor the moderated open issues” tones,, “Greecebalancing pr omisesenthusiasm lobbing over forthe new developmentsthe status”, with the “Venizelos: bilateral issues Toponyms, both countries a final still solution” need to resolve. and “Greece: This balancing the EU language was visiblestatus even of in Albania the titles within and headlines our Pr suchesidency”. as “Greece Mor offerseover, the thestatus space but asks dedic for atedthe soldiers’ cemetery”,to these “The articlesAgreement was of quit2009,e brVenizelos:oad, some after of negotiations which made we hopeit to theit will fir estnter pag intoes force” and “Bushati:of the Thenewspaper. Sea Pact according to the international law”. Part of this neutral reporting were also interviews of Bushati, Venizelos and Niko Peleshi, the Albanian Deputy Foreign Minister, whose languageThe was neutr moderate,al reporting diplomatic had and mor politicallye moder correctated tespeciallyones, balanci whenng referring enthusiasm to issues that are stillo openedver the between new de thevelopments two countries. with the bilateral issues both countries still need to resolve. This balancing language was visible even in the titles Although the negative and quasi‐negative connotation articles were a minority, it is worth having a and headlines such as “Greece offers the status but asks for the soldiers’ look into the main themes they covered which are: Greece offers help only to take something in cemetery”, “The Agreement of 2009, Venizelos: after negotiations we return and there are unresolved issues that were intentionally left out of the negotiations. These hope it will enter into force” and “Bushati: The Sea Pact according to the articles’ titles also demonstrate this tension: “Toponyms: Bushati fails in the negotiations with Venizelos”, “Be careful of Greek presents”, “The maritime border: Greece insists on the anti‐ constitutional32 pact” and “Unforgivable that Chameria was not mentioned”. Hence, both Greek and Albanian officials were portrayed negatively in these articles, but while Albanian officials were portrayed as incapable of mentioning or resolving issues, Greek ones were seen as working through an obscure pre‐set agenda.
21
Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 international law”. Part of this neutral reporting were also interviews of Bushati, Venizelos and Niko Peleshi, the Albanian Deputy Foreign Minister, whose language was moderate, diplomatic and politically correct especially when referring to issues that are still opened between the two countries.
Although the negative and quasi-negative connotation articles were a minority, it is worth having a look into the main themes they covered which are: Greece offers help only to take something in return and there are unresolved issues that were intentionally left out of the negotiations. These articles’ titles also demonstrate this tension: “Toponyms: Bushati fails in the negotiations with Venizelos”, “Be careful of Greek presents”, “The maritime border: Greece insists on the anti-constitutional pact” and “Unforgivable that Chameria was not mentioned”. Hence, both Greek and Albanian officials were portrayed negatively in these articles, but while Albanian officials were portrayed as incapable of mentioning or resolving issues, Greek ones were seen as working through an obscure pre-set agenda.
33 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
2. The bitter story: the Kareli case
Situational background
Ilia Kareli ─ also referred to as Kudret Kume (his Albanian name) ─ was an Albanian prisoner in Greece who was found dead in his cell after reported tortures by prison guards at Nigrita prison where he was transferred after killing a prison guard at the prison of Malandrino. The events started at the end of March 2014 at the prison of Malandrino where Kareli ─ a detainee of the prison ─ stabbed Giorgos Tsironis, a prison guard. He declared that he committed this act after repeated denials from the prison officials to give him permission to visit his ill mother. Kareli was transferred immediately at the prison of Nigrita for safety reasons where he was found dead on the same day from what were later confirmed as tortures.
An inquiry was opened after the events and the Greek media was the first to closely monitor the case. The media broadcasted pictures and videos of Kareli at the prison of Nigrita while he was being escorted at his cell in very bad conditions. These pictures and videos were widely distributed in the Albanian media as well.
At the beginning of April, after the autopsy and further investigation, 13 prison guardians were brought to the court facing charges of tortures leading to death. Among them was also the head of the prison guard union, Haris Konsolidis. According to Greek Reporter portal, the court decision 189/2014 states that:
“The Albanian inmate Ilia Kareli who, on the 25th of March, 2014, fatally wounded the correctional worker of the Manadrinos prison, Giorgos Tsironis, was transferred on the 27th of March, 2014, from the General Detention Center of Malandrinos to the Detention Center of Nigritas. On his arrival in Nigrita jail and during the duration of his stay in the waiting area from 15.55 until 18.32 when he was led to his prison cell, correctional 34 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
workers of the Nigrita jail subjected the prisoner to systematic and continuous torture in order to punish him for the death of their colleague. As a result of their actions they caused the Albanian prisoner bruising and a fracture of the sternum. The specific fracture and the acts of torture which they systematically subjected him to were sufficient to cause the death of Ilia Kareli from cardiac arrythmia a few hours later.”14
Ilia Kareli’s corpse was handed over to the Albanian authorities following their request to conduct an autopsy. At the end, Kareli was buried at his birthplace in Fier, Albania.
General quantitative data on coverage
The Kareli case was the most covered story over the seven months period this study monitored. The number of articles per newspaper is: Ship has 25 articles, Panorama and Mapo have 19 articles each and Tirana Times has 3 articles on the case.
Number of articles per newspaper
25 19 19
3
Shqip Panorama Mapo Tirana Times
ChartChart 13 During March and April, Albanian media focused extensively on the Kareli case. From the printed media monitoredDuring Mar forch this and study, April, 12 Albanianarticles were media published focused in March extensively and 47 articles on the were Kareli published in April,c ase.whereas From the the few prin articlested inmedia May, Junemonit andored July f(7or inthis total) study, were 12 mainly articles follow w ereups on the court decisionspublished in Greece. in Mar ch and 47 articles were published in April, whereas the
14. Dafne Tsagari, Thirteen Prison Guards Tried For the Death of Albanian Inmate. Greek Reporter (October 23, 2014).Number Online: of articles http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/10/23/ per month thirteen-prison-guards-tried-for-the-death-of-albanian-inmate/47 . 35
12 3 3 0 0 1
January February March April May June July
Chart 14
Connotation
How did the Albanian media report on the widely and extensively covered Kareli case and what were the main themes that accompanied this coverage? It is no surprise that the case was widely covered in a negative way throughout the Albanian media, making detection of variation in connotation very difficult. Nevertheless, although the general coverage of the situation was done through negative tones (68 percent of the articles), almost a quarter of the articles (24 percent) had a quasi‐negative connotation, and 8 percent had a neutral connotation. Thus, 1/3 of the sample covered the case in a more moderate way compared to the majority. No article had a positive connotation.
23
Number of articles per newspaper
25 19 19
3
Shqip Panorama Mapo Tirana Times
Chart 13
During March and April, Albanian media focused extensively on the Kareli case. From the printed Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 media monitored for this study, 12 articles were published in March and 47 articles were published in April, whereas the few articles in May, June and July (7 in total) were mainly follow ups on the few articles in May, June and July (7 in total) were mainly follow ups on court decisions in Greece. the court decisions in Greece.
Number of articles per month 47
12 3 3 0 0 1
January February March April May June July
Chart 14 Chart 14 Connotation Connotation How did the Albanian media report on the widely and extensively covered Kareli case and what were the mainHow themes did tthathe Aaccompaniedlbanian media this coverage?report o nIt tishe no wsurpriseidely a thatnd ethextensively case was cwidelyovered covered in a negativeKareli waycase throughout and what thewere Albanian the m media,ain themes making that detection accompanied of variation this in c connotationoverage? very difficult.It iNevertheless,s no surprise althoughthat the thecase general was w coverageidely covered of the i nsituation a negative was w doneay throughout through negative tones (68the percent Albanian of themedia, articles), making almost detection a quarter of ofvariation the articles in c onnotation(24 percent) vhadery a d quasiifficult.‐negative connotation,Nevertheless, and 8 percent although had a t heneutral general connotation. coverage Thus, of the 1/3 s ituationof the sample was d coveredone through the case in a more moderatenegative way tones compared (68 percent to the majority.of the a Norticles), article ahadlmost a positive a quarter connotation. of the articles (24 percent) had a quasi-negative connotation, and 8 percent had a neutral connotation. Thus, 1/3 of the sample covered the case in a more moderate way compared to the majority. No article had a positive connotation.
DivisionNumri i artikujveof articles sipas according konotacionit to their tëconnotation përmbajtjes
Negative 68%
Quasi‐negative 24% 23 Neutral 8%
Positive 0%
CCharthart 15 1 5 When analyzing the language used to cover the Kareli case, it is difficult to detect an intentional negative36 portraying of the situation in a description that will inevitably use word and phrases such as death, torture, beating, prison, killing of an Albania prisoner, etc. Thus, the connotation of the story is pre‐set by the circumstances to a considerable extent. Nevertheless, it is important to see what and how has been reported in the Albanian media, that goes beyond stating the actual facts.
In the biggest group of articles classified as having a negative or quasi‐negative connotation, there are three major themes that defined their connotation:
(1) Reporting the case by relying on a horror effect: which means a very detailed description of injuries, torturing techniques and what could be called as ‘the last minutes of Kareli’s life’, accompanied by pictures that could in some circumstances be censured. These articles were more aiming at a shocking effect than reporting the case. Many of them covered the whole two pages space and had big pictures. Typical headline of this category are: “The autopsy shows the tortures: 15 injuries in the body of Kume, broken scull and removed nails”, “The Albanian was tortured for 3 hours in the ‘fridge’ room”, “The massacre against Kareli, more pictures from the torture emerge” and “They put him on the electric chair, they took one eye out and they broke his chest”. Speculations were also present in some articles and they were reported as facts.
(2) Reporting the case by relying on an emotional and ‘national’ effect. This theme was also very present throughout the articles on Kareli and it mainly covered reports from the ‘Albanian’ side of the story, hence aiming at a broader national victimization. These articles focused on his family, his mother, how he was denied permission to visit her as well as the many people at his funeral, the national flags, etc. These articles were extensively citing his mother and trying to give an emotional dimension to the issue by portraying Kareli as one of the many victims among the Albanian migrants in Greece.
This ‘nationalization’ of Kareli as the last case of a broader phenomenon, especially when it comes to Greece, was mostly present in the articles that reported on his funeral and how the ceremony was full of people and Albanian flags. This last element is very interesting as it shows a kind of heroising process taking place in making Ilia Kareli the centre of a broader cause by emphasizing his Albanianness. Some common headlines of this category of negative connotation articles were: “Kume accompanied with dozen red and black flags”, “No permission to visit his mother, he kills the
24
Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
When analyzing the language used to cover the Kareli case, it is difficult to detect an intentional negative portraying of the situation in a description that will inevitably use word and phrases such as death, torture, beating, prison, killing of an Albania prisoner, etc. Thus, the connotation of the story is pre-set by the circumstances to a considerable extent. Nevertheless, it is important to see what and how has been reported in the Albanian media, that goes beyond stating the actual facts.
In the biggest group of articles classified as having a negative or quasi-negative connotation, there are three major themes that defined their connotation:
(1) Reporting the case by relying on a horror effect: which means a very detailed description of injuries, torturing techniques and what could be called as ‘the last minutes of Kareli’s life’, accompanied by pictures that could in some circumstances be censured. These articles were more aiming at a shocking effect than reporting the case. Many of them covered the whole two pages space and had big pictures. Typical headline of this category are: “The autopsy shows the tortures: 15 injuries in the body of Kume, broken scull and removed nails”, “The Albanian was tortured for 3 hours in the ‘fridge’ room”, “The massacre against Kareli, more pictures from the torture emerge” and “They put him on the electric chair, they took one eye out and they broke his chest”. Speculations were also present in some articles and they were reported as facts.
(2) Reporting the case by relying on an emotional and ‘national’ effect. This theme was also very present throughout the articles on Kareli and it mainly covered reports from the ‘Albanian’ side of the story, hence aiming at a broader national victimization. These articles focused on his family, his mother, how he was denied permission to visit her as well as the many people at his funeral, the national flags, etc. These articles were extensively citing his mother and trying to give an emotional dimension to the issue by portraying Kareli as one of the many victims among the Albanian migrants in Greece.
This ‘nationalization’ of Kareli as the last case of a broader phenomenon,
37 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 especially when it comes to Greece, was mostly present in the articles that reported on his funeral and how the ceremony was full of people and Albanian flags. This last element is very interesting as it shows a kind of heroising process taking place in making Ilia Kareli the centre of a broader cause by emphasizing his Albanianness. Some common headlines of this category of negative connotation articles were: “Kume accompanied with dozen red and black flags”, “No permission to visit his mother, he kills the Greek guard”, “8 years without seeing my son, they wouldn’t let me meet him at the prison” and “The mother of the Albanian killed in the Greek prisons: they wouldn’t let me meet my sun”.
(3) Reporting the case by pointing out the responsibility of the Greek state and institutions. This category of articles was mainly composed of editorials, opinions and interviews (these were mainly reported through a quasi-negative connotation). The general tone was cooler compared to the previous categories and applied a more rational logic. These articles generally saw the Greek state and institutions as responsible for the case and some highlighted the fact that they considered the current events only part of a wider trend of how migrants ─ and especially Albanian migrants ─ are treated and have been treated in Greece. The most common headlines of this category of articles included: “The Greek state is a hybrid of Neo-Nazism and Talibanism”, “Ilia Kareli was killed by the Greek institutions and not only by individuals!” and “The killing of Kareli, an ending warned 17 years ago”.
On the other hand, the neutral articles, although in a small minority of 8 percent, were more cautious in stating facts and leaving out additional stances. The coverage was shorter and had a balance in between reporting the events that led to Kareli’s death and the measures being taken by Greece to investigate the case and condemn those responsible. An example of a headline from this category of articles is: “The head of the Greek prison: I tortured Kareli”.
38 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
3. The mixed story: The issue of toponyms
Situational background
On May 12, 2014, the Greek and Albanian Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Evangelos Venizelos and Ditmir Bushati, reached an agreement on the use of the expression of geographical names (toponyms) of Greece in the documents of Albania. The agreement was signed in Brussels although negotiations went on for months and the agreement was previously discussed in Thessaloniki on May 8. The agreement ─ as the preceding problem that lead to its signing ─ was consistently considered technical by both sides, but very important.
The situation leading to the agreement was as follows: in the Albanian passports of Albanian migrants born in Greece, the name of their birthplace was written in the Albanian language instead of the English language. For example, it was written Selanik, Athinë, Kostur, instead of Thessaloniki, Athens, Kastoria. This situation became problematic especially after 2011 when Albanian citizens were issued new biometric passports following the visa free regime with Schengen countries. Initially, the Greece consulates in Albania started to reject the signing of the birth certificates of Albanian children born in Greece to further ban border-crossing and the renewal of residence permits in Greece. The situation became tense especially at the end of 2012 and throughout 2013 given the fact that the citizens under question were mostly children or young adults born of Albanian migrants after the 90s who were born, living and working in Greece.
The agreement consisted on Albania issuing new passports for Albanians born in Greece where the birthplace name would be in English, thus following the standards of “the geographic denominations deposited by all UN countries, and also the standards of ICAO (International Civil
39 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
Aviation Organization)”.15 On the occasion of Eastern 2014, Greece issued a memorandum to allow these citizens to temporarily enter/exit Greece with their current passports and the agreement extended the validity of this memorandum until January 2015 when the deadline is set for these citizens to acquire the new passports.
General quantitative data on coverage
It should be noted that the issue of toponyms went on for years and this study monitors only the media coverage of events from January 2014 to July 2014. During this period, the issue of toponyms was mostly covered by Shqip which had 19 articles, followed by Panorama with 7 articles and Mapo and Tirana Times with 3 articles in total.
Number of articles per newspaper 19
7
2 1
Shqip Panorama Mapo Tirana Times
ChartChart 16 16 Given the fact that the issue of toponyms was ongoing and not really happening in a specific moment toGiv classifyen the as faact ‘hot’ tha topict the over issue a certain of toponyms period, the w monthlyas ong oingdistribution and not of articles really is also quite spread.happening Thus, the in topic a specific was considerably moment tcoveredo classif iny Januaryas a ‘hot and’ t Februaryopic over (with a cert 13 ainarticles in total) as partperiod, of the the bilateral monthly visits dis oftribution high state ofofficials articles and is highly also quitcoverede spr inead. May Thus,(11 articles) the with the signingtopic of the w agreementas considerably in Brussels. covered in January and February (with 13 articles in total) as part of the bilateral visits of high state officials and highly
15. Ministry of Foreign AffNumberairs (Al) of, R esolutionarticles per of themonth issue of toponyms: Statement of Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati on the issue of11 toponyms. (May 15, 2014). Online: http://www.punetejashtme.gov.al/en/press-office/news/resolution-of-the-issue-of- toponyms&page=28 .
405
2 1 1 1
January February March April May June July
Chart 17
Connotation
As this study monitored articles from January to July 2014 the situation was already less tense during this period. The majority of articles (45 percent) covered the situation through a neutral connotation. The negative and positive articles were exactly of the same amount in percentage with 24 percent each. The quasi‐negative articles constituted 7 percent of the sample.
27
Number of articles per newspaper 19
7
2 1
Shqip Panorama Mapo Tirana Times
Chart 16
Given the fact that the issue of toponyms was ongoing and not really happening in a specific moment to classify as a ‘hot’ topic over a certain period, the monthly distribution of articles is also quite spread.Greece Thus, and the the topic Albanian-Greek was considerably relations covered in inthe January Albanian and printed February media (with 2014 13 articles in total) as part of the bilateral visits of high state officials and highly covered in May (11 articles) with the signingcovered of the in agreement May (11 articles)in Brussels. with the signing of the agreement in Brussels.
Number of articles per month 11
8
5
2 1 1 1
January February March April May June July
ChartChart 1717 Connotation Connotation As this study monitored articles from January to July 2014 the situation was already less tense during this Asperiod. this studyThe majority monitored of articles articles (45 from percent) January covered to July the 2014 situation the situationthrough awas neutral connotation.already The less negative tense andduring positive this articles period. were T heexactly majority of the sameof articles amount ( 45in percentage percent) with 24 percentcovered each. t heThe squasiituation‐negative through articles aconstituted neutral 7c percentonnotation. of the sample.The n egative and positive articles were exactly of the same amount in percentage with 24 percent each. The quasi-negative articles constituted 7 percent of the sample.
Division of articles according to their connotation
Neutral 45%
Positive 24%
Negative 24% 27
Quasi‐negative 7%
ChartChart 18 The group of neutral articles mainly focused on technical issues. They were present throughout the coverageThe gr periodoup andof neutrvastly citedal articles statements mainly from statefocused officials on which technical were moderate issues throughout. They thiswere period. pr esentTypical thrheadlinesoughout from the this c overagecategory were: period “The and toponyms: vastly cittheed two statements options in the negotiations with Greece”, “Toponyms, Sapnua: we will intervene to avoid problems at the border” and “Albania and Greece reach agreement on passport birthplace spelling”. Many articles41 in this category were not headlines, mainly positioned at the end of the newspaper pages and not occupying much space.
The group of positive articles had a strong tone of resolution and emphasized the fact that this solution was going to be permanent. Accordingly, terms such as resolution, permanent solution, without problems, good example and partnership and cooperation were among the most used in these articles. These positive articles were mainly published in May when the agreement was reached. Typical headlines included: “Toponyms, Bushati: Our pact with Greece, a model for other countries too”, “Thessaloniki, Bushati meets the emigrants: Toponyms near to a practical solution” and “Venizelos: Final solution to the toponyms”.
The group of negative articles analyzed or presented the issue as a political rather than technical one. These articles were generally covering the situation on the ground at border points and stating personal stories of Albanian migrants that could not pass the border because of the toponyms in their passports. Many comments and opinion articles treated the toponyms as another episode of what they saw as a consistent policy of Greece towards Albanian migrants. Very few negative connotation or quasi‐negative connotation articles blamed or rather considered the Albanian state responsible for the situation. Thus, the general message of these articles was clear: Greece is to be blamed!. Common titles from this category were: “Tavo from Gjirokastra, toponyms: Thousands of Albanians are suffering the consequences of politics”, “Flux at the border because of toponyms, emigrants: We are waiting since four hours” and “Greece does not renew permits, toponyms are the reason”.
28
Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 from state officials which were moderate throughout this period. Typical headlines from this category were: “The toponyms: the two options in the negotiations with Greece”, “Toponyms, Sapnua: we will intervene to avoid problems at the border” and “Albania and Greece reach agreement on passport birthplace spelling”. Many articles in this category were not headlines, mainly positioned at the end of the newspaper pages and not occupying much space.
The group of positive articles had a strong tone of resolution and emphasized the fact that this solution was going to be permanent. Accordingly, terms such as resolution, permanent solution, without problems, good example and partnership and cooperation were among the most used in these articles. These positive articles were mainly published in May when the agreement was reached. Typical headlines included: “Toponyms, Bushati: Our pact with Greece, a model for other countries too”, “Thessaloniki, Bushati meets the emigrants: Toponyms near to a practical solution” and “Venizelos: Final solution to the toponyms”.
The group of negative articles analyzed or presented the issue as a political rather than technical one. These articles were generally covering the situation on the ground at border points and stating personal stories of Albanian migrants that could not pass the border because of the toponyms in their passports. Many comments and opinion articles treated the toponyms as another episode of what they saw as a consistent policy of Greece towards Albanian migrants. Very few negative connotation or quasi-negative connotation articles blamed or rather considered the Albanian state responsible for the situation. Thus, the general message of these articles was clear: Greece is to be blamed! Common titles from this category were: “Tavo from Gjirokastra, toponyms: Thousands of Albanians are suffering the consequences of politics”, “Flux at the border because of toponyms, emigrants: We are waiting since four hours” and “Greece does not renew permits, toponyms are the reason”.
42 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014
References
Armakolas, Ioannis, The Greek Public Opinion towards Albania and the Albanians: Social attitudes and perceptions, Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, December 2013. Balla, Andi, Filip Ejdus & Megi Llubani, Albania and Serbia: Do perceptions equal reality?, Albanian Institute for International Studies and Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, Tirana and Belgrade, 2013. Çela, Alba & Sashenka Lleshaj, Albanian-Greek Relations from the Eyes of the Albanian Public: Perceptions 2013, Albanian Institute for International Studies and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Tirana, March 2014. Gr2014eu, Results of the Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the European Union 1 January – 30 June 2014. Online: http://www.gr2014. eu/home?page=1. International Boundary Research Unit (IBRU). (2010). Albanian constitutional court nullifies maritime boundary agreement with Greece. Durham University. Online: https://www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/news/ boundary_news/?itemno=9534&rehref=%2Fibru%2Fnews%2F&resubj= Boundary+news%20Headlines. McLuhan, Marshall, Understanding Media: The extensions of Man, Routledge, London, 1964. Ministry of Defense, Republic of Albania, Defence Minister Kodheli official visit to Greece, 14-15 January. 2014 Online: http://www.mod. gov.al/arkiv/eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id= 2470:defence-minister-kodheli-official-visit-to-greece-14-15-january- 2014&catid=320:activitis-a-analysis&Itemid=661. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Al), Minister Bushati travels to Athens in the framework of AII Ministerial Meeting, (February 04, 2014). Online: http:// www.punetejashtme.gov.al/en/press-office/news/minister-bushati- 43 Greece and the Albanian-Greek relations in the Albanian printed media 2014 travels-to-athens-in-the-framework-of-aii-ministerial&page=9. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Al), Resolution of the issue of toponyms: Statement of Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati on the issue of toponyms. (May 15, 2014). Online: http://www.punetejashtme.gov.al/en/press- office/news/resolution-of-the-issue-of-toponyms&page=2. Tsagari, Dafne, Thirteen Prison Guards Tried For the Death of Albanian Inmate. Greek Reporter (October 23, 2014). Online: http://greece. greekreporter.com/2014/10/23/thirteen-prison-guards-tried-for-the- death-of-albanian-inmate/.
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