TIRANA, June 29 /ATA/ The Director of the School of Magistrates, Arben Rakipi, underlined on Monday the importance of a balanced relationship between the justice system and the media.
In his opening remarks at the national conference “Interaction between Justice and the Media: Contemporary Challenges,” Rakipi said that the justice system should be more open to the public, stressing that transparency and institutional communication are key elements in building public trust.
“The justice system cannot be disconnected from the public. We are a public service and must be accountable to citizens. When justice communicates too little, it leaves room for speculation, misinformation and a lack of trust,” he said.
Rakipi also referred to what he called “parallel judgment,” warning that publishing the names of suspects, images of arrests, or hasty media and social media commentary can shape a public perception that substitutes for evidence and due legal process.
“We, the justice system, must understand the public’s legitimate need for information, simply because we cannot be isolated from citizens, as we are paid by the taxpayer public to serve precisely them. We constitute the judicial public service and must, at the very least, be accountable to it. A justice system that communicates little, explains little, and remains closed off to the public creates space for speculation, rumours, malicious interpretations, misinformation, or mistrust. Trust is also built through transparency, institutional communication, and the ability to explain processes.”
“However, in practice, we are often confronted with what has come to be called ‘parallel judgment’ or a ‘public court’. The moment the name of a suspect is published, when footage of an arrest is broadcast, when commentators, analysts, or social media users rush to deliver verdicts, a parallel reality to the judicial process is created. And in this reality, perception often takes the place of evidence,” Rakipi said.
According to Rakipi, technological development has increased challenges for media reporting, as information and comments spread rapidly, often without being verified. He pointed to cases in which images from crime scenes or investigative and judicial documents are published before being handled by the relevant institutions.
“The relationship between the media and the justice system has become even more complex due to the technological revolution. The spread of news or comments has become much easier through today’s technology, which reaches millions of people in just a few seconds, who consume and, not infrequently, believe the first piece of information they receive, even when it is of poor quality or on the borderline of fake news. It is not uncommon for footage from the scene of an incident to be published before the police arrive there, or for judicial or investigative documents to be circulated before they are presented in the courtroom. Therefore, the need for self-restraint, respect for ethical standards, and professional culture or responsibility is high, in direct proportion to the potential impact of news on the public,” he said.
However, Rakipi underlined that the media should continue reporting on matters of public interest, especially criminal cases, as this serves transparency and accountability within the justice institutions.
“The media is encouraged not to remain silent on issues, particularly criminal ones of public interest. It is healthy for everyone that it reports, because it serves the transparency and accountability of justice institutions. However, reporting must be careful, balanced, and based on verified facts, so that public information does not risk turning into public condemnation,” he said.
/m.q/r.e/sm/
