Some of Moldova’s journalists have had the freedom in 2017 to exercise their profession honestly and independently, in spite of the large share of the media market being under political control. In an end-of-year campaign, the Broadcasting Coordination Council (CCA), the Investigative Journalism Center, and the Association of Independent Press have highlighted, at IPN’s request, a series of good things that transpired in the field of mass media in 2017.
Among the accomplishment pointed out by the CCA is the development of a new Broadcasting Code, by a group formed at the initiative of Parliament President Andrian Candu. “There is a need for media regulations that follow European standards and, concomitantly, to raise awareness on the need to solve the challenges Moldovan broadcasting faces in informational security,” the CCA notes.
Program access for people with hearing and sight deficiencies is another achievement noted by the CCA. Starting with 1 September 2017, TV and radio channels must offer one daily broadcast, between 17.00 and 23.00, adapted to the needs of people with visual or hearing disabilities. Furthermore, starting with 1 January 2018, TV channels will ensure access for people with hearing and sight deficiencies during election campaigns.
As of 1 October 2017, the new amendments to the Broadcasting Code came into force. National coverage radio and television broadcasters will offer at least 8 hours of locally produced programming, six of which must be offered at peak audience hours, with a minimum of 4 hours of Romanian programming. Radio broadcasters who offer reruns of international programs, and cannot comply with the 8-hour minimum rule, will not be allowed to run advertisements. A positive aspect of this, CCA says, is that many local broadcasters have managed to create these regional products, in spite of the great difficulties they face when compared to nation-wide broadcasters.
The Investigative Journalism Center points out that the mass media outlets united against great common dangers. “At the beginning of the year, when journalist Mariana Rață was under the threat of criminal trial, for having used data on a former official, which he had deemed as private, journalists united into a campaign that had over 20 information outlets posting only de-personalized news for one day, thus proving what happens when official documents are made impersonal and public information is restricted. In the second half of the year, journalists have united in fighting the elimination of names from the search engines of judicial courts. After protests, public debates and statements, the Superior Council of Magistrates has adopted a rule that eliminates the depersonalization of judicial rulings. By the end of the year judicial search engines had reverted the variety of options for informational searches.”
Meanwhile, the press has several trials on access to information, obligating public institutions to disclose the information required by journalists, and the quality of journalist investigations has risen. The Investigative Journalism Center won a case against the Central Electoral Committee. The institution was obligated to provide the journalists with access to electoral candidates’ subscription lists, and offer complete information on political party sponsors. Another case the Center and AGER won was against the Moldova Railway SE, which was subsequently forced to disclose information on its public procurements. The Association of Independent Press has won a case against the Moldova Post Service, also forcing the institution to disclose its procurements. These trials create precedents to be used in other trials on restricted access to information, mentions the Investigative Journalism Center.
According to the Association of Independent Press (API), the emergence of the TV8 channel on the media market — as an alternative to media outlets that orbit around the governing forces — is the highlight of the year. “TV8 strives to be a free platform for the expression of opinions, and it has the potential to become just that. I sincerely believe in this goal, and I believe it will happened through correct methods, without breaching the journalistic work code,” mentions API Executive Director Petru Macovei. The API also notes the development of several media institutions towards media convergence, citing projects like People and Kilometers, and Newsmaker.
