“I DON’T LIE, even though I don’t tell everything,” writes Prime Minister Edi Rama, while accusing those who, in his words, “all these days have been cooking up meat for the top on their corrupt screens.”
This is precisely where his obligation to provide explanations begins. Because when the country’s prime minister publicly accuses the media of corruption, citizens have the right to know: Which ones are they? Who are the owners? What corruption is being referred to, and where is the evidence?
Rama is not an ordinary commentator on social networks. He is the head of government, and his word carries the weight of power. Such an accusation requires responsibility, names and facts.
If the prime minister has evidence of illegal activities, let him hand it over to the competent authorities. Let them be investigated and, if responsibility is proven, let the legal consequences be applied. No media owner should have immunity from the law because of the screen he owns.
Nor should any journalist bear the accusation of corruption merely because they ask questions, criticise, or broadcast views that irritate the government.
By not naming names, the prime minister leaves the entire media under suspicion. The public is left to guess, while those in power retain the ability to direct the accusation at whoever opposes them. This way of communicating clouds the debate and fuels distrust.
The phrase “meat for the top” is also too serious to be thrown out there without explanation. Who is using whom? Which broadcast, which programme or which call supports this claim?
“I don’t lie” is not enough as a public guarantee. Especially when it is followed by the statement “I don’t tell everything.” In this case, the part left unsaid is precisely what needs clarifying: the identity of those accused and the facts on which the accusation rests.
Mr. Prime Minister, if you know which screens are corrupt, name them and present the evidence.
The public has the right to know whether you are denouncing corruption or attacking critics. The answer requires facts. But the public also knows that your government has helped with projects worth millions of euros, and what some media owners wanted in return, so if you are going to speak publicly, say the names.