Kusari: Kosovo Police radio will become a propaganda tool for Self-Determination

Media lawyer Flutura Kusari has expressed concern over the Kosovo Police plan to launch its own radio station, saying that such an initiative could undermine media independence and lead to the use of media for propaganda purposes, Front Online reported.

Kosovo Police plans to launch its own radio station, through which it intends to promote the institution’s work and improve communication with citizens on community safety issues. The radio station has been granted a one-year license for the purpose of testing technology and new services.

Kusari, however, said that the establishment of media outlets by public institutions raised questions regarding international principles of media freedom.

“According to the information I have, Kosovo will become the only country in Europe with state-run media. The state is launching its own media outlet, which is clearly contrary to the principles of international organizations that oppose the establishment of state media,” Kusari told Front Online.

She warned that the police radio station would become a propaganda tool for Self-Determination, noting that the security sector was controlled by Self-Determination.

“Who will be the director, who will be the editor-in-chief, who will be responsible for the content, and who will be held accountable in court for insults and defamation? Kosovo does not need a police radio station. The police do not need a media channel. All public information services can be provided in cooperation with RTK and Radio Kosovo,” Kusari said.

Journalism professor Alban Zeneli assessed that the Kosovo Police initiative to launch a radio station was problematic in terms of media freedom, editorial independence and democratic oversight of security institutions.

Zeneli said that the police should be subject to scrutiny by independent media rather than becoming a media operator competing in the information market.

He warned that if the radio station were directly managed by the police without clear guarantees of editorial independence, there was a risk that its content would focus primarily on the institution’s activities while problematic issues would be pushed into the background.

“Therefore, the main problem is not only what this radio station will broadcast, but also what it might choose not to report,” Zeneli stressed.

He also pointed to the possibility of political influence over programming.

“Kosovo Police is a state institution and operates within the state system. Therefore, careful consideration must be given to how the radio station will be financed, who will manage it, who will determine its editorial policy and what mechanisms will be in place to protect its content from political interference,” Zeneli said.

He drew a distinction between a radio station producing news and current affairs programming and a channel used exclusively to broadcast emergency notifications.

“Based on what has been publicly presented so far, the purpose of the police radio station is to produce news programming. Security institutions should be subject to media scrutiny, not become media outlets themselves,” Zeneli concluded.