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Thesis, Vol.6, No.1, 2017

This paper aims to introduce the approach of journalism students to PR-practices and public relat... more This paper aims to introduce the approach of journalism students to PR-practices and public relations in general. The paper is based on empirical results obtained from an extensive survey with students of journalism in Tirana, Elbasan and Shkodra in 2015. The main goal is to analyse the priorities of students before emerging in the labour market and specifically their attitude to PR as field employment in the future. At a time when the boundaries between PR and classical journalism are becoming indecipherable, we are interested to know the attitude of the students of journalism to these developments. How endangered is the journalistic profession from interference of PR offices? How optimistic are they about the future of journalism? Where do they see themselves employed in the near future? Etc. The paper will attempt to answer these questions and others that will raise with concrete figures.

Books by Jonila Godole

The book provides insights into the students’ perspective on journalism education at universities... more The book provides insights into the students’ perspective on journalism education at universities in South East Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Serbia). The main objective of the survey was to analyse the attitudes of students on the system of journalism education and to give an answer to the following questions:
What motivates a student to pursue an education in journalism?
To what extent are students satisfied with the learning conditions?
What are their recommendations for study program improvement?

Papers by Jonila Godole

Journal of Liberty and International Affairs, Institute for Research and European Studies - Bitola

De Gruyter eBooks, Feb 6, 2023

The Republic of Albania¹,asmall country with 2.8m illioni nhabitants bordering Greecet ot he sout... more The Republic of Albania¹,asmall country with 2.8m illioni nhabitants bordering Greecet ot he south, North Macedonia to the east and Kosovoa nd Montenegrot o the north, experienced one of the most repressive communist dictatorships in Central and Eastern Europe from November 1944 to March 1991. The Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha ruled the country with an iron fist until his death in April 1985, repeatedly breakingo ff relations and agreements with his allies from the communist camp and isolating the country from the rest of the world. After his death, this policy was continued by his successor Ramiz Alia until the Iron Curtain fell and the transition from dictatorship to democracy wasn egotiated. This was not an easy transition. The planned economya nd isolationist policies had led Albania into the economic abyss.There wasalack of democratic political cultureinthe country even before the dictatorship was established. Elites and dissident groups weres ystematicallye liminated through executions and imprisonment. There was no independent civil society.Atradition of independent media was absent,a nd paranoia, xenophobia and mistrust had left deep traces in Albanian society. The conflicts and disputes from the time of the class struggle weretransferred to the twom ost important political parties. These weret he Democratic Party (DP), foundedi nD ecember 1990 and calling itself conservative, Albania'sf irst opposition party,a nd the Socialist Party (SP) as the successor the Communist Party.Astrong polarization still characterizes the political culturea nd publicd iscourse in Albania today. 1.1 Relevant Period The communist dictatorship wase stablished immediatelya fter the withdrawal of German troops from Albania on 29 November 1944 and endedwith the first pluralist elections on 31 March 1991. The downfallofthe dictatorship did not occur through its overthrow,but as aresultofadomino effect following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the bloodye vents in Romania. Political pluralism waso nlyp ermittedb yA lia'sg ov- The Republic of Albania (Republika eShqipërisë)emergedfromthe People'sSocialist Republic of Albania in 1991. Open Access. ©2 023t he author(s), published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative CommonsA ttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

In contrast with the other countries of Eastern Europe, the journalists[1] who had operated withi... more In contrast with the other countries of Eastern Europe, the journalists[1] who had operated within the norms and the frame of the ruling ideology of the old system in Albania were forced to abandon the profession immediately after the fall of the regime. A new generation of journalists replaced them and started operating in a legislative vacuum, ignoring both legal and moral norms. This radical behavior marked the whole Albanian transition, as this study suggests. The local development of journalism in the last twenty years reflects clearly the efforts to fuse imported Western values into the existing cultural and traditional bed. Specifically this paper raises two fundamental questions: What is the profile of the Albanian journalist today? Which are the features of the Albanian journalism? As “professional culture” we are going to understand ‘the characteristic or presentation of journalism as an independent institution, as a profession and discourse within a concrete political, ec...

Në dallim nga vendet e tjera të Lindjes, në Shqipëri pjesa më e madhe e gazetarëve të sistemit të... more Në dallim nga vendet e tjera të Lindjes, në Shqipëri pjesa më e madhe e gazetarëve të sistemit të vjetër që kishin operuar brenda normave dhe kornizës ideologjike në fuqi, u shtrënguan ta lënë profesionin menjëherë pas ndryshimeve në vend, në periudhën kohore 1990-1992. Brezi i ri i gazetarëve që i zëvendësoi, filloi të operonte në një vakuum ligjor, duke mos përfillur normat ligjore dhe ato morale. Ky radikalitet është shenjues për të gjithë tranzicionin shqiptar, siç do të tregojë ky punim. Zhvillimi i gazetarisë në Shqipëri, në njëzet e dy vitete fundit, pasqyron qartë përpjekjet për të fuzionuar vlerat e mbartura perëndimore brenda një shtrati kulturor dhe tradicional ekzistues. Konkretisht dy pyetjet themelore që shtron ky punim janë: Kush është profili i gazetarit shqiptar sot? Cilat janë tiparet e kulturës profesionale të gazetarisë shqiptare? “Kultura profesionale“ në këtë studim do të kuptohet si “një proces pune i individëve profesionistë” dhe “karakteristika apo paraqitja...

Kolegji AAB, 2017

Ky punim synon të prezantojë qasjen e studentëve të gazetarisë ndaj praktikave të PR dhe marrëdhë... more Ky punim synon të prezantojë qasjen e studentëve të gazetarisë ndaj praktikave të PR dhe marrëdhëniet me publikun në përgjithësi. Punimi bazohet në rezultatet empirike të përftuara nga një anketë e gjerë me studentë gazetarie në Tiranë, Elbasan dhe Shkodër gjatë vitit 2015. Synimi kryesor është të analizohen prioritetet e studentëve përpara se të dalin në tregun e punës dhe specifikisht qëndrimi i tyre ndaj PR si fushë punësimi në të ardhmen. Në kohën kur kufijtë mes PR dhe gazetarisë klasike sa vjen dhe po bëhen më të padeshifrueshëm, na intereson të njohim qëndrimin e studentëve të gazetarisë ndaj këtyre zhvillimeve. Sa të rrezikuar e shohin ata profesionin e gazetarit nga ndërhyrjet e zyrave të PR-it? Sa optimistë janë ata për të ardhmen e gazetarisë? Ku e shohin veten të punësuar në të ardhmen e afërt? Etj. Punimi do të përpiqet t'u japë përgjigje me shifra konkrete këtyre pyetjeve dhe të tjerave që do ngre.

Journalism Studies, 2017

After almost 20 years of political instability and ongoing conflicts in the Western Balkans, the ... more After almost 20 years of political instability and ongoing conflicts in the Western Balkans, the region is still haunted by the past, and there is an ongoing synergy of influence between media and the political sector. Media in this region have frequently been criticized for fueling conflicts, instigating ethnic hatred and taking political sides. This article suggests a new research agenda in the practice of transitional journalism in this part of Southeastern Europe. This research strand combines elements from troubled pasts, war reporting, peace journalism and issues of transitional justice. This article analyzes how journalists in the Western Balkans consider the roles of journalism in times of transitions in the region. Findings from the Worlds of Journalism (WJS) study reveal that journalists and editors in the Western Balkans perceive their roles to be broader than those in traditionally western societies. They subscribe to traditional journalism values but also argue that the media has a broad responsibility to contribute to enhance transitions of societies after longer periods of conflict. At the same time, journalists have little trust in the institutions of society entrusted with the task of leading the countries through many issues of transitional justice. The article draws on empirical material from the WJS survey in 2014 and 2015 in Albania, Croatia, Kosovo and Serbia.

Danaj and Godole examine the complex relationship between women parliamentarians and the media in... more Danaj and Godole examine the complex relationship between women parliamentarians and the media in post-communist Albania through qualitative interviews with eight female members of parliament in office for the period 2009-2013 and find support for all three determinants of parliamentarians’ presence in the media: elite status, active involvement, and media bias. In a mediated political environment, despite an increase in the number of women in parliament due to the new proportional electoral code with a gender quota, they continue to receive less media coverage than their male colleagues, unless they are high-ranking politicians or involved in high profile cases. Female politicians perceive gender bias not only in terms of omission, but also trivialization and condemnation. However, they do not passively accept gendered mediation as they resist trivialization and try to overcome omission by trying to find a direct way to communicate with the people such as online social media.

This paper aims to introduce the approach of journalism students to PR-practices and public relat... more This paper aims to introduce the approach of journalism students to PR-practices and public relations in general. The paper is based on empirical results obtained from an extensive survey with students of journalism in Tirana, Elbasan and Shkodra in 2015. The main goal is to analyse the priorities of students before emerging in the labour market and specifically their attitude to PR as field employment in the future. At a time when the boundaries between PR and classical journalism are becoming indecipherable, we are interested to know the attitude of the students of journalism to these developments. How endangered is the journalistic profession from interference of PR offices? How optimistic are they about the future of journalism? Where do they see themselves employed in the near future? Etc. The paper will attempt to answer these questions and others that will raise with concrete figures.

The following paper aims to analyze the relationship of journalists and media owners in Albania, ... more The following paper aims to analyze the relationship of journalists and media owners in Albania, theoretically and empirically. The main thesis of the paper is that journalists as well as media owners should be treated as actors with their own pragmatic interests, which tend by these interests and build their relationship on the basis of their compliance or not. Because journalists do not work in a vacuum. During their daily job they encounter restrictions and influences that impact the product, i.e. the output they present to the audience at various degrees.1 These influences may be visible such as self-regulation or the code of ethics,but also invisible within the newsroom,such as censorship and professional ethos. We should not neglect the influence of the audience, the sources and the deadlines for delivering finished products because as McQuail notes“the content is systematically and seemingly influenced by organizational routines, practices and intentions, more than personal o...

Women represent the majority of journalists in Albania (51.7%), with an average age of 32.54 year... more Women represent the majority of journalists in Albania (51.7%), with an average age of 32.54 years (s=8.76); half of the journalists were younger than 31 years and they often hold a degree in journalism or related field of study (72.4%). The dominating group in the media consists of reporters 30 to 39 years old (42.2%) and young journalists who just graduated (42%). Experienced journalists over 50 make up only 5.3 percent, while those who are 40 to 49 constitute 10.6 percent of the sample. With regard to the education level, 64.1 percent of interviewees hold a Bachelor’s degree, 32.2 percent have a Master’s and 1.7 percent have obtained a Doctorate. Only four of 295 journalists (1.4%) have earned a simple high school diploma. Of all interviewees with a diploma, 26.6 percent say they specialized in areas outside journalism and communication, 62.7 percent graduated in journalism or communication, and 10.7 percent have specialized in both areas.

Thesis, Vol.6, No.1, 2017

This paper aims to introduce the approach of journalism students to PR-practices and public relat... more This paper aims to introduce the approach of journalism students to PR-practices and public relations in general. The paper is based on empirical results obtained from an extensive survey with students of journalism in Tirana, Elbasan and Shkodra in 2015. The main goal is to analyse the priorities of students before emerging in the labour market and specifically their attitude to PR as field employment in the future. At a time when the boundaries between PR and classical journalism are becoming indecipherable, we are interested to know the attitude of the students of journalism to these developments. How endangered is the journalistic profession from interference of PR offices? How optimistic are they about the future of journalism? Where do they see themselves employed in the near future? Etc. The paper will attempt to answer these questions and others that will raise with concrete figures.

The book provides insights into the students’ perspective on journalism education at universities... more The book provides insights into the students’ perspective on journalism education at universities in South East Europe (Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Serbia). The main objective of the survey was to analyse the attitudes of students on the system of journalism education and to give an answer to the following questions:
What motivates a student to pursue an education in journalism?
To what extent are students satisfied with the learning conditions?
What are their recommendations for study program improvement?

Journal of Liberty and International Affairs, Institute for Research and European Studies - Bitola

De Gruyter eBooks, Feb 6, 2023

The Republic of Albania¹,asmall country with 2.8m illioni nhabitants bordering Greecet ot he sout... more The Republic of Albania¹,asmall country with 2.8m illioni nhabitants bordering Greecet ot he south, North Macedonia to the east and Kosovoa nd Montenegrot o the north, experienced one of the most repressive communist dictatorships in Central and Eastern Europe from November 1944 to March 1991. The Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha ruled the country with an iron fist until his death in April 1985, repeatedly breakingo ff relations and agreements with his allies from the communist camp and isolating the country from the rest of the world. After his death, this policy was continued by his successor Ramiz Alia until the Iron Curtain fell and the transition from dictatorship to democracy wasn egotiated. This was not an easy transition. The planned economya nd isolationist policies had led Albania into the economic abyss.There wasalack of democratic political cultureinthe country even before the dictatorship was established. Elites and dissident groups weres ystematicallye liminated through executions and imprisonment. There was no independent civil society.Atradition of independent media was absent,a nd paranoia, xenophobia and mistrust had left deep traces in Albanian society. The conflicts and disputes from the time of the class struggle weretransferred to the twom ost important political parties. These weret he Democratic Party (DP), foundedi nD ecember 1990 and calling itself conservative, Albania'sf irst opposition party,a nd the Socialist Party (SP) as the successor the Communist Party.Astrong polarization still characterizes the political culturea nd publicd iscourse in Albania today. 1.1 Relevant Period The communist dictatorship wase stablished immediatelya fter the withdrawal of German troops from Albania on 29 November 1944 and endedwith the first pluralist elections on 31 March 1991. The downfallofthe dictatorship did not occur through its overthrow,but as aresultofadomino effect following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the bloodye vents in Romania. Political pluralism waso nlyp ermittedb yA lia'sg ov- The Republic of Albania (Republika eShqipërisë)emergedfromthe People'sSocialist Republic of Albania in 1991. Open Access. ©2 023t he author(s), published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative CommonsA ttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

In contrast with the other countries of Eastern Europe, the journalists[1] who had operated withi... more In contrast with the other countries of Eastern Europe, the journalists[1] who had operated within the norms and the frame of the ruling ideology of the old system in Albania were forced to abandon the profession immediately after the fall of the regime. A new generation of journalists replaced them and started operating in a legislative vacuum, ignoring both legal and moral norms. This radical behavior marked the whole Albanian transition, as this study suggests. The local development of journalism in the last twenty years reflects clearly the efforts to fuse imported Western values into the existing cultural and traditional bed. Specifically this paper raises two fundamental questions: What is the profile of the Albanian journalist today? Which are the features of the Albanian journalism? As “professional culture” we are going to understand ‘the characteristic or presentation of journalism as an independent institution, as a profession and discourse within a concrete political, ec...

Në dallim nga vendet e tjera të Lindjes, në Shqipëri pjesa më e madhe e gazetarëve të sistemit të... more Në dallim nga vendet e tjera të Lindjes, në Shqipëri pjesa më e madhe e gazetarëve të sistemit të vjetër që kishin operuar brenda normave dhe kornizës ideologjike në fuqi, u shtrënguan ta lënë profesionin menjëherë pas ndryshimeve në vend, në periudhën kohore 1990-1992. Brezi i ri i gazetarëve që i zëvendësoi, filloi të operonte në një vakuum ligjor, duke mos përfillur normat ligjore dhe ato morale. Ky radikalitet është shenjues për të gjithë tranzicionin shqiptar, siç do të tregojë ky punim. Zhvillimi i gazetarisë në Shqipëri, në njëzet e dy vitete fundit, pasqyron qartë përpjekjet për të fuzionuar vlerat e mbartura perëndimore brenda një shtrati kulturor dhe tradicional ekzistues. Konkretisht dy pyetjet themelore që shtron ky punim janë: Kush është profili i gazetarit shqiptar sot? Cilat janë tiparet e kulturës profesionale të gazetarisë shqiptare? “Kultura profesionale“ në këtë studim do të kuptohet si “një proces pune i individëve profesionistë” dhe “karakteristika apo paraqitja...

Kolegji AAB, 2017

Ky punim synon të prezantojë qasjen e studentëve të gazetarisë ndaj praktikave të PR dhe marrëdhë... more Ky punim synon të prezantojë qasjen e studentëve të gazetarisë ndaj praktikave të PR dhe marrëdhëniet me publikun në përgjithësi. Punimi bazohet në rezultatet empirike të përftuara nga një anketë e gjerë me studentë gazetarie në Tiranë, Elbasan dhe Shkodër gjatë vitit 2015. Synimi kryesor është të analizohen prioritetet e studentëve përpara se të dalin në tregun e punës dhe specifikisht qëndrimi i tyre ndaj PR si fushë punësimi në të ardhmen. Në kohën kur kufijtë mes PR dhe gazetarisë klasike sa vjen dhe po bëhen më të padeshifrueshëm, na intereson të njohim qëndrimin e studentëve të gazetarisë ndaj këtyre zhvillimeve. Sa të rrezikuar e shohin ata profesionin e gazetarit nga ndërhyrjet e zyrave të PR-it? Sa optimistë janë ata për të ardhmen e gazetarisë? Ku e shohin veten të punësuar në të ardhmen e afërt? Etj. Punimi do të përpiqet t'u japë përgjigje me shifra konkrete këtyre pyetjeve dhe të tjerave që do ngre.

Journalism Studies, 2017

After almost 20 years of political instability and ongoing conflicts in the Western Balkans, the ... more After almost 20 years of political instability and ongoing conflicts in the Western Balkans, the region is still haunted by the past, and there is an ongoing synergy of influence between media and the political sector. Media in this region have frequently been criticized for fueling conflicts, instigating ethnic hatred and taking political sides. This article suggests a new research agenda in the practice of transitional journalism in this part of Southeastern Europe. This research strand combines elements from troubled pasts, war reporting, peace journalism and issues of transitional justice. This article analyzes how journalists in the Western Balkans consider the roles of journalism in times of transitions in the region. Findings from the Worlds of Journalism (WJS) study reveal that journalists and editors in the Western Balkans perceive their roles to be broader than those in traditionally western societies. They subscribe to traditional journalism values but also argue that the media has a broad responsibility to contribute to enhance transitions of societies after longer periods of conflict. At the same time, journalists have little trust in the institutions of society entrusted with the task of leading the countries through many issues of transitional justice. The article draws on empirical material from the WJS survey in 2014 and 2015 in Albania, Croatia, Kosovo and Serbia.

Danaj and Godole examine the complex relationship between women parliamentarians and the media in... more Danaj and Godole examine the complex relationship between women parliamentarians and the media in post-communist Albania through qualitative interviews with eight female members of parliament in office for the period 2009-2013 and find support for all three determinants of parliamentarians’ presence in the media: elite status, active involvement, and media bias. In a mediated political environment, despite an increase in the number of women in parliament due to the new proportional electoral code with a gender quota, they continue to receive less media coverage than their male colleagues, unless they are high-ranking politicians or involved in high profile cases. Female politicians perceive gender bias not only in terms of omission, but also trivialization and condemnation. However, they do not passively accept gendered mediation as they resist trivialization and try to overcome omission by trying to find a direct way to communicate with the people such as online social media.

This paper aims to introduce the approach of journalism students to PR-practices and public relat... more This paper aims to introduce the approach of journalism students to PR-practices and public relations in general. The paper is based on empirical results obtained from an extensive survey with students of journalism in Tirana, Elbasan and Shkodra in 2015. The main goal is to analyse the priorities of students before emerging in the labour market and specifically their attitude to PR as field employment in the future. At a time when the boundaries between PR and classical journalism are becoming indecipherable, we are interested to know the attitude of the students of journalism to these developments. How endangered is the journalistic profession from interference of PR offices? How optimistic are they about the future of journalism? Where do they see themselves employed in the near future? Etc. The paper will attempt to answer these questions and others that will raise with concrete figures.

The following paper aims to analyze the relationship of journalists and media owners in Albania, ... more The following paper aims to analyze the relationship of journalists and media owners in Albania, theoretically and empirically. The main thesis of the paper is that journalists as well as media owners should be treated as actors with their own pragmatic interests, which tend by these interests and build their relationship on the basis of their compliance or not. Because journalists do not work in a vacuum. During their daily job they encounter restrictions and influences that impact the product, i.e. the output they present to the audience at various degrees.1 These influences may be visible such as self-regulation or the code of ethics,but also invisible within the newsroom,such as censorship and professional ethos. We should not neglect the influence of the audience, the sources and the deadlines for delivering finished products because as McQuail notes“the content is systematically and seemingly influenced by organizational routines, practices and intentions, more than personal o...

Women represent the majority of journalists in Albania (51.7%), with an average age of 32.54 year... more Women represent the majority of journalists in Albania (51.7%), with an average age of 32.54 years (s=8.76); half of the journalists were younger than 31 years and they often hold a degree in journalism or related field of study (72.4%). The dominating group in the media consists of reporters 30 to 39 years old (42.2%) and young journalists who just graduated (42%). Experienced journalists over 50 make up only 5.3 percent, while those who are 40 to 49 constitute 10.6 percent of the sample. With regard to the education level, 64.1 percent of interviewees hold a Bachelor’s degree, 32.2 percent have a Master’s and 1.7 percent have obtained a Doctorate. Only four of 295 journalists (1.4%) have earned a simple high school diploma. Of all interviewees with a diploma, 26.6 percent say they specialized in areas outside journalism and communication, 62.7 percent graduated in journalism or communication, and 10.7 percent have specialized in both areas.