Abstract: | In the last years, media's role in Albanian society has become increasingly influential. Media's role as government watchdog is being perceived as a useful tool for the development of different sectors of social development. Media has an important role in covering and introducing into the public debate in the country these important issues. There is no doubt that social issues must be part of this public debate. The way that the media covers issues of social importance is a very good indicator of media's maturity, professionalism, and skills in fulfilling its public mission. For this purpose, in the framework of a project supported by the Soros Foundation, the Albanian Media Institute has carried out a monitoring of print media on some important social issues, such as poverty, education, and health. Based on the findings of these monitoring reports, this publication also includes a policy paper, which summarizes the main problems identifies in reporting social issues in the media, as well as potential suggestions for improving this reporting in the future. |