VZCZCXRO9855
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHTI #0081/01 0401547
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091547Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8811
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000081 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL AL
SUBJECT:  CLOSURE OF NEWSPAPER TEMA SYMPTOMATIC OF POOR STATE OF 
PRESS FREEDOM 
 
REF: 2009 Tirana 17 
 
TIRANA 00000081  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE TREAT ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Mero Baze, the publisher of the small circulation 
daily "Tema", announced in a January 23 editorial that "Tema" was 
closing.  Baze said that for over one year, the newspaper had made a 
valiant effort to survive after being evicted from its premises in 
2008; however he said he cannot continue under such conditions.  A 
January 27 statement by Albania's four media organizations noted 
that the closing of "Tema" is disheartening to journalists.  Other 
prominent journalists, however, said Baze's use of the paper to 
harshly criticize the government, after many years of staunch 
political and personal support for Prime Minister Berisha, cast 
aspersions over "Tema's" role and reputation.  The truth is very 
likely a combination of both.  In Albania, the "independent" media 
is more often than not little more than the public affairs arm of 
political parties and businesses, and practically all operate under 
the thumb of a political party or larger media company.  Independent 
journalism in Albania is the exception, not the norm.  End summary. 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) On January 23, 376 days after its eviction from its 
previous offices by the GOA, the now anti-GOA small circulation 
daily paper "Tema" announced it would cease publishing immediately. 
"Tema", whose editor Mero Baze was once a close confidant of PM Sali 
Berisha, has had a rocky period since the GOA broke its lease with 
"Tema" in December 2008 and evicted it from its offices, purportedly 
to make way for a printing facility for the new biometric ID cards 
(reftel).  (Note:  The eviction occurred in defiance of a court 
ruling permitting "Tema" to remain in its original offices.  The USG 
and European governments condemned the government's action publicly, 
including in the 2008 Human Rights Report. End note.)  The break, 
according to several sources, occurred when Berisha backed down from 
an agreement negotiated by Baze to support business interests of the 
wealthy owner of Tirana's prime entertainment pavilion, the Taiwan 
Center.  Several sources say that Baze was paid 500,000 euros to 
deliver a casino license but ultimately failed to do so.  Taiwan 
Center owner Besnik Sula allegedly owns "Tema", according to 
documents provided by the Ministry of Finance. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The eviction was only the beginning of Baze's woes.  Just 
weeks after the eviction, Baze's car was burned and subsequently 
exploded (reftel).  A police investigation determined the car had 
caught fire on its own, however the Albanian Helsinki Commission 
(AHC) said at the time the investigation was "hasty."  More 
recently, in November 2009, Baze was assaulted in a Tirana bar by 
businessman Rezart Taci.  Taci is currently free on bail pending a 
trial. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Yet other prominent journalists tell a different story 
regarding "Tema's" closure.  Opinion writer Fatos Lubonja, in 
speaking at a private event to DCMs resident in Tirana several weeks 
ago, said "Tema's" owners had important business interests.  Other 
journalists noted that the paper closed because it was losing money 
and no longer served the needs of the owners.  Lubonja and other 
journalists criticized the beating of Baze, but are careful to 
distinguish "Tema" as a once pro-Berisha paper that turned 
anti-Berisha once the lucrative relationship was no longer 
productive.  Opinion writer Blendi Kajsiu on January 29 said in an 
editorial that "Tema" had closed because it lacked a political party 
or business conglomerate to back it.  Kajsiu called "Tema" 
"Albania's last independent paper" in that "Tema" was not under the 
thumb of the opposition, GOA or any larger business enterprise. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The story of "Tema" is the story of Albanian journalism in 
microcosm - Baze used his close ties to the PM to his advantage to 
build the paper and to attract financial backers for "Tema" and, 
according to some, to enrich himself.  Baze's relationship to 
Berisha dates back to the early 1990s when Baze was a Democratic 
Party loyalist and resolute critic of the Socialist Party, 
particularly its current leader Edi Rama.  But "Tema" then suffered 
the consequences after Baze's falling out with Berisha.  However, it 
would be a stretch to say that GOA harassment alone drove "Tema" out 
of business.  Although Baze was one of the PM's harshest critics, 
the paper had a relatively small circulation.  Almost no media 
outlets in Albania are truly independent, with nearly all of them 
answering to a party, business interest, or both.  During TV debates 
in the run-up to the 2009 parliamentary elections, both PM Berisha 
and SP Chairman Edi Rama sent text messages to the on-air anchors of 
TV talk shows and debates, berating the hosts for showing perceived 
bias towards the other side.  Both the opposition party and GOA 
consistently pressure media outlets to shade coverage and aren't 
above using leases and licenses as leverage.  Many newspapers also 
take money from businesses in order to write articles critical of 
 
TIRANA 00000081  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
competitors.  In short, "Tema's" closure puts a harsh spotlight on 
Albania's unhealthy media climate where politics, the media and 
business are inseparable partners. 
 
WITHERS