IJC Launched the Media Situation Index in the Republic of Moldova

The Independent Journalism Center (IJC) made public on Monday, 6^th of February 2017, the Yearly Report on the “Media Situation Index (MSI) in the Republic of Moldova in 2016”.  The document makes an assessment of the media situation in Moldova in 2016 and comprises: the MSI methodology; the chronology of events; expert opinions and assessments of the events occurred during the period under consideration and had a direct or an indirect impact on the situation of the media.

MSI methodology includes 7 indicators which are relevant for the media reality in Moldova, namely: the legal framework regulating the media activity; the political context; the economic environment; the professional environment; the quality of journalism; the information security from the media perspective; the security of journalists. The respective methodology has been chosen, as it provides a diagnosis of the mass-media as a whole, as well as of their each distinct field / indicator. From this perspective, MSI points out the areas where interventions are appropriate in order to improve the media situation for the benefit of the citizen and of the society.

The report is divided into chapters corresponding to the seven indicators set in accordance with MSI methodology. Each of them contains, in addition to the mathematical results of the evaluation of different aspects of the media situation, a brief chronology of the relevant events occurred in 2016 and a generalisation of the rationale for the score given by the experts.

Such an approach provides a more comprehensive overview of the situation of the mass-media during the period under consideration.

Conclusions and recommendations are formulated at the end of the report, and relevant annexes are attached.

The report was developed with the financial support of the Civil Rights Defenders organisation from Sweden, an IJC partner.