The Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) is the official news agency in Albania.
Media assets
News agency: Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA)
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
ATA is owned by the state and officially subordinated to the Prime Minister’s Office. The government appoints its management. Armela Krasniqi, a former director of ATA appointed in 2017, had previously served the government. In 2021, the Council of Ministers replaced her with Valbona Zhupa. Zhupa has fewer connections with the government and has worked with various media outlets, including ATA.
Source of funding and budget
ATA is completely funded by the government, as per data from the agency. An ATA report states that the agency received a government grant of ALL 59.5m (almost US$ 500,000) in 2023.
Editorial independence
ATA is recognized as an official government agency. RSF has described it as “a propaganda tool,” although the agency has not wielded much influence in the Albanian media in recent years.
No statute or independent mechanism of assessment and oversight to validate ATA’s editorial independence has been identified.
August 2024