Europe

Project: Media, Transparency and Accountability in Albania
Evaluation Date: September 2010
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The Journalist Union’s activities to increase its membership were effective as they were linked to something tangible– the issuing of a membership card which had value to journalists. The card was provided as a receipt for the payment of dues which provided the Union with some income. However, most journalists seemed to have interpreted this as a one-time requirement, and did not see the need during interviews to pay dues on a regular basis. The number of members increased from 480 in 2008 to 790 in 2010. There were 870 members by the time of the evaluation. The union’s regional offices did not appear to be open, but they still had representatives for the offices who managed the Union activities in their areas and who convened meetings when needed.

Theme: Media
Albania   ,
Project: Media, Transparency and Accountability in Albania
Evaluation Date: September 2010
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The grantee mastered the reporting and production aspects of the project activities, but its biggest challenge was finding a market for its products. This was illustrated repeatedly by stations pulling out because of political or advertiser pressure. Perhaps linkages with a strong enterprise are necessary to ensure a platform to broadcast such shows and to be able to withstand the subsequent political pressure.

Theme: Media
Albania   ,
Project: Media, Transparency and Accountability in Albania
Evaluation Date:
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

Project activities could have been made more effective had they not been done in isolation from the other good governance and anti-corruption work being done in Albania. Developing synergies with other projects and organizations working on the same issues could have ensured follow-up to the issues uncovered by the grantee reports and Union activities. Link investigative reports with civic and legal action to maximize their effectiveness and ensure accountability. Work with other civil society organizations government Ombudsmen and other organizations, such as international non-governmental organizations working on issues of freedom of the media, protection of journalists and anti-corruption, as well as international organizations such as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other donor programs.

Theme: Media
Albania   ,
Project: Media, Transparency and Accountability in Albania
Evaluation Date: September 2010
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

National public TV (TVSH) and other TV stations in Albania with nationwide coverage would not broadcast its programmes because of the nature of their content. To compensate, the grantee productions were uploaded onto YouTube and the grantee helped to create a project website to serve as a repository for its programmes, which was originally not anticipated in the project.

 

Theme: Media
Albania   ,
Project: Media, Transparency and Accountability in Albania
Evaluation Date: September 2010
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project built on portions of an earlier media development project funded by USAID in Albania. As a result, most of the project framework was already in place, making implementation of the UNDEF-funded activities relatively straightforward. Most of the stations in its networks, and about half of its reporters, had already been trained under the previous USAID. project and the grantee was able to leverage this experience to its advantage. This helped to consolidate the position of investigatory journalism and the role of the media as a public watchdog. It also ensured that the Union functioned long enough to become an established part of the Albanian media environment.

Theme: Media
Albania   ,