The Independent Journalism Center (CJI) has identified serious forms of manipulation in the press such as truncation of statements, distorting of the message and taking of sentences out of context, which are typical of electoral periods. The findings are contained in the fifth monitoring report “Elements of propaganda, informational manipulation and violation of the norms of journalistic deontology in the national media space” that covers the period between February 1 and April 1, 2017.

CJI executive director Nadine Gogu, in a news conference at IPN, said it was determined that journalists are involved in propaganda campaigns and these show a selective approach to acts and opinions, by which they protect the image of politicians and do not objectively show the reality.

Five subjects were monitored, namely: launch of the initiative to introduce the uninominal voting system; discussion in Parliament of the bill that envisions the switchover to a new voting system; adoption in the final reading of the bill to amend the Broadcasting Code; rise in prices of medical services for persons who do not have a health policy and voting of the bill on the annulment of MP immunity in the first reading.

Media expert Viorica Zaharia said the TV channels Publica TV and Prime TV daily broadcast news items about the benefits of the uninominal voting system and presented facts unilaterally, favoring thus the Democratic Party, which proposed the initiative. It was also established that the two channels transmit, with small exceptions, the same content in news items of major public interest, especially as regards political subjects.

In the same way, Accent TV had a selective approach and gave preference to subjects about the activity of the Party of Socialists. It allowed unilateral presentation of facts, omissions and citing of unknown experts.

Other media outlets that were monitored covered the subjects without serious deviations from the deontological norms or depending on their specific features and the coverage area didn’t include the subjects that were monitored in news articles.

The recommendation for media outlets and journalists is to refrain from participating in propaganda campaigns and to objectively present the facts in news items. The managers of media outlets are recommended not to use the own institutions as propaganda instruments and instruments for promoting interests to the detriment of equidistant informing of the public. The Broadcasting Coordination Council is urged to monitor the way in which the media cover subjects about the replacement of the electoral system, while the media consumers are recommended to inform themselves from several media sources.