However, a Society for a Democratic Culture media monitoring project from March to July showed that state-run television's news coverage is lopsided in favor of the Government. According to international observers, the state television channel gave balanced coverage on the constitutional referendum campaign up until a few days before voting, when it began to give more coverage to government positions. According to human rights NGO's, in February police officers in Librazhdi beat two journalists, reportedly because of the stories they had written. Also in February police officers in Elbasani beat a reporter for the daily Republika. In May a bomb exploded at the home of a journalist for the newspaper Koha Jone and injured her two children and two neighbors.
Academic freedom continues to be limited.
University professors complain that some faculty members are hired or fired for political reasons and that students who have the right political connections get preferential treatment regardless of their personal qualifications. Some international monitoring of the magistrates' school ensured selection on the basis of merit. The Government maintains that changes to university staffing are made on the basis of merit.