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This week, Interakt company, which owns the UNIMEDIA portal and the AGENDA.md events website, has launched a new website intended to provide economic news and analyses – Agora. Media Azi had a discussion with the editor-in-chief of the new project, journalist Victoria Dumbrava.
On Tuesday Interakt launched a new portal of news and analyses, this time with the focus on economy. What motivated you to make this decision?
A proper analysis of the information that Moldovan mass media have been providing lately easily shows that politics receive quite a significant coverage. I am not saying it is not important, but, unfortunately, many journalists only report on the politicians’ ping pong, telling about one’s reply to some other’s statement, refusing to examine the problems that concern citizens. I will even give you an example. At the end of last year we were all concerned about other issues, and after winter holidays we woke up to find out about the changes to the budget and tax policy that the Parliament introduced out of nowhere. Now, some of these have been found unconstitutional and our leaders are already thinking about ways to return to them. Sure, the statements of country leaders, politicians, are important. The context in which they are made is also important. More important, however, is what hides behind them. For that reason we thought of coming with a different product, which would offer more than replies, but objective problem analysis and, eventually, solutions. Another reason that compelled us to make this decision is the fact that we have recently become convinced that such a product is expected and needed in the business environment.
A question that many readers would probably want to know the answer to – who is financing this project? We know that at least some media outlets in Moldova, including online media, are financed by politicians or other pressure groups. Is it the case with Agora, too?
When we say that “at least some media outlets are financed by politicians or other pressure groups,” I’d like to have the proof. So that we don’t build just on what someone says. In this sense, I hope that necessary changes are made to reveal the true owners of media outlets in our country. As for Agora, the website is a product of the Interakt company, which is also the owner of the UNIMEDIA news portal, the AGENDA.md events website, and part of the PentruEA.md online magazine for women. The company, in its turn, is owned by Sergiu and Vasile Galusca, Dumitru Ciorici and Tudor Darie.
We know that several Moldovan media outlets specialized in economics have gone bankrupt or have been taken over by interested persons. How will Agora resist? Will it accept publicizing articles paid by politicians?
Agora is a website of economic news and business analyses. I don’t think that politicians must decide what is and what is not news (including economic). In terms of analyses, if we happen to have such offers from a politician, we will consider them. However, when I say analysis, it means that there must be arguments, that statements must be supported by figures, statistics, and that there must be less opinion. If you follow the editorial policy of other Interakt media products, you will see that they have never had articles marked with a “P.” (paid) that denigrated anyone or anything. Paid articles only promote a company, a product, etc. Agora will follow the same rule. You might say that it is a maneuver that we use to allow us promote certain politicians or parties. I don’t see how they might fit into our format, since we, I repeat, are a website of economic news and business analyses. The place of politics is not here.
Is there a connection between the launch of Agora and the fact that we are in a year of elections?
You are not the first to make this connection. It might have some logical substance. Since the beginning of this year, some other portals have already been launched, and I know that there are others to follow. I don’t want to speak of whether it is somehow connected with the fact that we are in a year of elections. What I’d like to underline is that the work on this project, Agora, began a long time before this year of elections. Even as soon as the first hours after launch I heard opinions such as “it will resist until elections; after that – no one knows.” I say we should let facts speak and I would suggest returning to this issue in about a year and a half, as our politicians still haven’t decided when to hold elections – in autumn or closer to spring 2015.
What will make Agora different than other Moldovan portals and how will you manage to deal with competition?
Originality. We will try to cover topics in a way that they are interesting even for those who don’t really have any tangency with economy. We will provide a space for discussions. Here, conflicting opinions on various economic topics may be shared freely. We do not intend to fight with some opponent. Our priority is to inform visitors in an operative and impartial manner about events and topical economic issues, both in the country and abroad. In addition, we intend to make Agora not only a platform for informing business people, but also for educating and motivating them. Thus, we will contribute to developing a competitive, innovative and sustainable economy in Moldova.
What will be the editorial policy of Agora? What will be your sources?
Our editorial policy is not a question of the future. We already have it. We have clearly set criteria and rules of behavior. A part of this document is public, on the site. Anyone can access it. In fact, it was one of the most accessed sections on the launch day. In short, I could tell you that Agora will come to support businesses, and in case of a conflict between businesses and the government, Agora will present both positions impartially. In our work we will focus primarily on the public interest. We want Moldova to become self-sufficient from the economic point of view. We are pleading for integration into the European economic space and for maintaining bilateral relation with the countries of the CIS. We wish European standards be implemented in the economy of our country. We will give special attention to promoting local products and respect towards our country.
Is Agora the last project of Interakt or you are still working on other appearances on the local media market?
It is definitely not the last. There will be other projects, media campaigns. We at Agora will also shortly come up with new surprises aimed at developing Moldovan entrepreneurship and at facilitating communication between businesses and public institutions. But all in good time. Otherwise it wouldn’t be called a surprise.
Source of photo: www.unimedia.info
