The Independent Journalism Center has launched a practical guidebook intended for public functionaries and journalists entitled “Access to Information without “Barricades” The book is designed to facilitate cooperation between the two sides – journalists and public servants, IPN reports.

The book was produced by experts of the Center and includes analyses and recommendations for optimizing the legal framework on the access to information and practical advice for the two sides. Guidebook authors Sorina Stefarta and Irina Perciun said the period during which the public functionaries must give an answer to the applications for information of public interest should be reduced from 15 workdays to 10 calendar days, while the penalties for the violation of the Law on the Access to Information should be made harsher.

The authors of the guide provide a number of recommendations and advice given by journalists to communicators and vice versa. Thus, the journalists will find out how to correctly ask for official information, who are the providers, what they should do when the information costs and how they should act if the response of a public functionary is “No”. For their part, the communicators will find useful information about how to ensure active and correct informing of journalists ,when they have the right to limit the access to information and how to administer more efficiently the official websites, how to avoid and manage crisis situations, etc.

The guidebook was worked out within the project “Strengthening of the legal framework on the media sector in the Republic of Moldova” that is implemented by the Independent Journalism Center with the financial support of the Civil Rights Defenders of Sweden.