In a bold and controversial move, Albanian TV station Zjarr grabbed headlines by putting news anchors on air in open jackets with nothing underneath. Launched in 2016, the format was marketed as a way to boost ratings and deliver what the station’s owner framed as “transparent and naked” news—both literally and metaphorically. The stunt ignited an immediate firestorm: some called it clever marketing in a crowded media landscape; others saw it as a blatant play for shock value that blurred the line between journalism and entertainment.
Why It Happened—and Why It Worked (At First)
Television news has been fighting a losing battle for attention since the rise of social media. In that environment, Zjarr’s gambit made sense from a pure marketing standpoint: provoke curiosity, break the routine, and get people talking. The visual hook was simple and impossible to ignore, and the message—“we’re stripping away spin”—was sharp enough to be memed and repeated. In a small market where word of mouth still matters, the format did exactly what it set out to do: it made Zjarr the topic of conversation far beyond Albania’s borders.
The Ethics Debate: Journalism vs. Spectacle
Yet ratings are only half the story. The core question the format raised was ethical: can serious news coexist with deliberately sexualized presentation? Supporters argued the body is not inherently scandalous and that audiences should judge the information, not the outfit. Critics countered that packaging hard news in provocative imagery cheapens the craft, pressures anchors (especially women) to participate in a gimmick, and confuses the audience about what constitutes credible reporting. The controversy also touched on a deeper media problem: when attention becomes the primary currency, do we inevitably trade substance for spectacle?