RTSH in Moral and Institutional Crisis – A Call for Intervention
By Flamur Buccpapaj
“The destruction of an institution doesn’t begin with debt, but with silence in the face of injustice.”
Recently, during a meeting between the Director of RTSH, Ms. Eni Vasili, the Governing Council, the Parliamentary Media Committee, and several journalists from private media outlets, some shocking facts were made public regarding the current state of the institution. RTSH, one of Albania’s core public information institutions, is reportedly over 6 million euros in debt, while its leadership continues to follow the same clientelist and coercive practices of the past.
During this meeting, Ms. Vasili—although only a few months into the position—quoted a platform that originated from my personal initiative, the only remaining documented plan archived at RTSH, without acknowledging its authorship. This is an unacceptable and dangerous act that raises serious concerns about the professional integrity of the current leadership.
Even more troubling was the stance of several retired former employees and opposition representatives, who—rather than raising concerns about the crisis—offered silent support to the current administration. This included the current chair of the Media Committee, Ms. Ina Zhupa, who, for the first time as an opposition representative, openly aligned with the government’s position. This reflects the dramatic downfall of the Democratic Party and the Albanian opposition as a whole—a painful, ridiculous, and miserable display of a political force that no longer has either a voice or dignity.
Today, RTSH is at serious risk of collapse—not just financially, but ethically and institutionally. For this reason, urgent parliamentary reform is necessary to rescue RTSH from total failure. Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has intervened in major national matters such as the National Theatre and cultural institutions, must also intervene here—to prevent RTSH from becoming just another tool of propaganda, pressure, and mismanagement.
The Albanian public deserves a truly independent, transparent, professional, and dignified public broadcaster. RTSH can be saved—but not with this staff, and not under this model of leadership.
An external financial and ethical audit is urgently needed to verify the accumulated debts, procurement procedures, and administrative decisions taken over the past years.
Intervention by Prime Minister Edi Rama is also necessary, just as he has intervened in other public sectors in crisis, to prevent the total collapse of Albania’s public broadcaster.
This is a public appeal to civil society, to honest journalists, and to all responsible citizens: Do not remain silent. If we allow this degradation to continue, it will not be only RTSH that fails—but our entire society, which proves incapable of protecting its public institutions from self-destruction.
RTSH can be saved—but only with transparency, integrity, and the courage to speak the truth.
“When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.”
A System in Self-Destruction
The crisis at RTSH is no longer merely financial or managerial—it is a crisis of legitimacy, of representation, and of the rule of law itself. When opposition representatives—those who should be the loudest defenders of transparency and institutional oversight—fall silent or endorse the same patterns of failure, then we are witnessing a system that is collapsing from within.
Instead of calling for an independent audit of the €6 million debt, instead of demanding investigation into the controversial DVB-T2 tender and its suspicious procedures, instead of listening to the voices of honest professionals, this meeting turned into a spectacle of hypocrisy, confirming a path that will further sink the institution.
Why Parliament and the Prime Minister Must Intervene
RTSH is public property, not a personal office for temporary appointees or a tool of political parties. It is funded by Albanian taxpayers and must serve the impartial and fair information of citizens, not reproduce clientelist deals and political manipulation.
The Albanian Parliament has the responsibility to launch an urgent reform to restructure RTSH—through new legislation, strict transparency rules, and a fully public, professional, and merit-based selection process for its leadership.
Likewise, Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has taken direct responsibility for reforming broken public sectors, must not remain silent in the face of RTSH’s collapse. Just as he intervened in the National Theatre, the National Museum, and other public spaces, he must intervene here too—to halt this rapid institutional decay.
Our Appeal
This editorial is a direct appeal to the public, civil society, the free press, and the honest journalists within RTSH: Do not stay silent! Do not allow this institution to be further destroyed. This is the moment for transparency, accountability, and civic action.
RTSH can be saved—but only if it is liberated from the claws of old politics, clientelism, and corrupt mediocrity. Otherwise, it will remain a hollow shell of what should have been a modern, professional, and public-serving broadcaster.
“Evil is not the result of ignorance, but of the lack of courage to speak the truth.”
RTSH Is Not a Private Office – It Is Public Property
RTSH is not and must not become a party instrument, a hub of clientelist employment, or a personal domain for temporary administrators. This institution exists to guarantee independent journalism, culture, education, free thought, and pluralism. Today, RTSH is farther from that mission than ever before.
Therefore, immediate institutional intervention is needed, on three fronts:
Parliamentary reform to restructure and truly depoliticize RTSH;
Independent financial and ethical auditing of the institution’s practices;
Executive intervention to stop the systemic rot and restore public trust.
