Media NGOs of the Republic of Moldova condemn the attitude of election contestants towards media representatives. The practices of denigration and intimidation of representatives of the press have grown during the election campaign. Some of the presidential election candidates insulted journalists and launched campaigns to discredit particular media outlets, according to a statement by  the media NGOs, quoted by IPN.

“We remind all election contestants of the need to observe, when interacting with the press, not only the Electoral Code, the Law on Freedom of Expression and the Regulations on Election Coverage by Media Institutions, but also the generally acceptable norms of conduct in a democratic society. We note that the state guarantees the protection of the honor, dignity and professional reputation of the journalist and penalizes any form of intimidation of journalists. We call on all election contestants to refrain from spreading disinformation, hate speech and sexist expressions and to adopt decent language and behavior in relation to media representatives,” reads the statement.

Reporters and media outlets harmed by the inappropriate behavior of some of the election contestants are encouraged to make use of the means provided by law in order to counteract, punish and prevent such incidents.

The statement was signed by the Independent Journalism Center, the Association of Environmental and Eco Tourism Journalists, the Association of Electronic Press, the Association of Independent Press, etc.