On Wednesday, an article published by Independent Policy Digest – a website based in Richmond, Virginia, reported that the arrest of Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj and his detention had procedural problems and was becoming a test for the rule of law in Albania.
The IPD article was widely republished in Albanian media, while the publication itself presents itself as an international online media platform, which publishes analyses by experts, professors, former diplomats, academic researchers and independent analysts.
The article about Veliaj in the IPD was signed by Kristopher O'Brien, an author with no biography and no other traces of publications online. When BIRN searched using the 'author's' photo, it was discovered that it was a stock photo, reused by dozens of online publications.
This is not the first time that Albanian media has translated and published articles of dubious origin or produced by PR companies for Erion Veliaj – a practice known as 'news laundromat' [information laundering], in the context of his legal confrontation with the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime.
“The use of foreign media, which is then taken and multiplied in publications in Albanian media, is a well-known practice of political propaganda,” said Elvin Luku, associate professor in the Department of Journalism at the University of Tirana.
Asked by BIRN, Independent Policy Digest did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. Mayor Veliaj has been under “prison arrest” since his arrest on February 10 by order of the Special Court Against Organized Crime and Corruption, on suspicion of involvement in corruption and money laundering through a network of companies and NGOs linked to his wife, Ajola Xoxa.
Veliaj and Xoxa have denied the allegations.
The technique of 'information laundering' works similarly to money laundering. First, we have a local politician or source who needs to attack justice or victimize himself, but if he says it himself, it is not believed. For this reason, a foreign media outlet is chosen, often secondary portals in Brussels or the US, which accept op-eds or sponsored articles. This gives the news an international stamp. In the third link, the media in Albania retakes the article and reports it as "international news", usually adding that it comes from "prestigious media" and the like.
Erion Veliaj's court battle is not the first time that such campaigns have ended up in Albanian media. Earlier, in 2018, opinions published in the media with dubious credibility and often with false information or conspiracy theories were used to attack justice reform.
A flagrant case was the use of a blog in Italy to spread fake news about chemical waste dumping in Albania in 2017. Recently, an opinion piece authored by “Helen Bratt,” a pseudonym that had previously produced half-truths about politics in Albania, was widely published in the media.
Journalist and communications expert Emirjon Senja told BIRN that these methods are widely used in the country and that the media often refer to these articles to escape responsibility.
"In our case, we have many examples of what we can call 'information cleansing' operations, where initially news on certain topics are published on peripheral portals and then taken up and republished by medium or large media, referring to these portals," Senja said.
According to him, while the media abdicates editorial responsibilities, false information or information for propaganda purposes is disseminated and has the expected effect. “In this case, the big media avoids responsibility because it says it referred to the previous media,” he said. On December 4, just one day before Veliaj’s court hearing on the security measure at the GJKKO, a Brussels-based media outlet called “EUReporter” also published an article supporting Veliaj and attacking his treatment by SPAK. The article stated that the mayor’s detention was leading to the corruption of the justice system in Albania.
According to Elvin, this article comes as a result of a PR strategy, which at a later stage will be put into the function of a legal strategy, that is, of the legal battle, which seems to be heading towards Strasbourg.
“If you analyze the article, you notice that elements in favor of the mayor were very carefully used, building a narrative according to which justice in this specific case is not up to the required international standards,” he said. “And being told by another foreign media outlet, of course it has a specific weight,” Luku added.
Unlike the IPD article, the EUReporter article was written by an unidentified staff member. Asked by BIRN, EUReporter editor-in-chief Colin Stevens said the article was based on reports from international law firms.
“The article in question is based on a press release sent to us by PR Newswire, which included two letters from prominent international law firms, Kasowitz Benson Torres in New York and Mishcon de Reya in London, which had published two separate reports – one in June and an updated version in October,” Stevens said.
“The press release was verified and then rewritten by one of our journalists, which is why it bears his/her name in the author line,” he added.
Kasowitz Benson Torres in New York and Mishcon de Reya in London are two law firms hired by Arbër Veliaj, the mayor's brother, to undertake an expensive PR campaign in his defense. The American firm Kasowitz Benson Torres has been engaged to defend the mayor from his brother, Arbër Veliaj, who has made a down payment of $300,000.
Data released by the US Department of Justice shows that Kasowitz lawyers receive an hourly rate ranging from $500 to $1,950.
According to Elvin Luku, beyond the hefty payments, this strategy is legitimate for the imprisoned mayor.
“Is this an illegal practice? Of course not,” he said. “But what we understand is that Mr. Veliaj is using a political PR strategy combined with a legal strategy, focused on respecting procedure and human rights, to continue the battle in the Strasbourg Court,” Luku concluded./Reporter.al
