The audiovisual mass media of Moldova respect the rights of children in newscasts to a greater extent than last year and ensure a greater protection of children. Such a conclusion is contained in the preliminary report on the monitoring of six TV channels compiled by the Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) and the Independent Press Association (API), IPN reports.
Presenting the report, API executive director Petru Macovei said the situation has visibly improved. In most of the cases those who are responsible for news bulletins make effort to ensure the protection of children in vulnerable situations. Thus, there were identified no serious violations of the legislation on the protection of identity. There are exceptions, but they cannot serve as a basis for the conclusion that the journalists do not obey the rights of children.
According to Petru Macovei, insistence is needed to further demand that the journalists do not use the image of children for sensational purposes or for rating. This can happen especially in cases of suicide attempts, family conflicts and rapes. The journalists are tempted to present these cases in more details. There are also cases when the children are only a pretext for multiplying the presentation of sensational or shocking cases for the public.
The report shows the TV channels allot 9% to 16% of the airtime of a newscast for news or features involving children. The largest number of news items that present the children in a positive light was broadcast by Moldova 1, Prime TV, Publika TV, Jurnal TV and TV 7. Pro TV is the only channel where subjects about negative phenomena and shocking cases prevail.
BCC member Mariana Onceanu-Hadarca said the editors allow presenting details and circumstances of crimes, profiting from the fact that the law does not expressly ban this and neglecting the provisions of the Journalist’s Deontological Code.
The monitoring of the TV channels was performed based on the BCC decision of June 12, 2014, according to a methodology worked out by the API within the project “Strengthening capacities of public institutions and mass media to ethically approach issues related to child’ rights”, which is financed by UNICEF Moldova.
