IJC Report: Some Televisions Present Facts Selectively and Tendentiously

Some televisions present information unilaterally and with bias, promoting the interests of their owners. In the newscasts of some channels facts are presented selectively, often mixed with opinions, and some information is omitted. These are the main conclusions of the seventh monitoring report “Elements of Propaganda, Information Manipulation, and Violation of Journalistic Ethics in the Moldovan Media Space (1 June 2017 – 1 August 2017),” launched on Tuesday, August 22, by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC).

The main topics monitored between June 1 and August 1, 2017, were current social and political events in Moldova: publication of the Venice Commission report on the draft law introducing the mixed electoral system; conviction of Orhei city mayor Ilan Shor; extension of arrest for Chisinau mayor Dorin Chirtoaca; European Parliament decision to grant to Moldova a macro-financial assistance of EUR 100 million; and adoption in final reading of the draft law on transition to the mixed electoral system.

According to expert Viorica Zaharia, who monitored 12 media outlets and prepared the report, Moldovan media continue ignoring news writing standards. Thus, “Publika TV, Prime TV, Canal 2 delivered, with some exceptions, the same content in news reports about events of major public interest, especially on political issues.” In the newscasts of these channels the expert found manipulation techniques and violations of the Ethics Code, such as selective presentation of facts, failure to ensure the right of reply, or facts mixed with opinions.

Accent TV and NTV Moldova channels covered some of the analyzed events unilaterally and tendentiously, presenting facts selectively, with omission of some information in newscasts, having facts mixed with opinions, and using irony to refer to opponents. In one case, NTV Moldova delivered false information, and in one other case it omitted an important topic in its newscast.

Jurnal TV channel had elements of selective presentation of facts, lack of balance, and, in one case, failure to ensure the right of reply.
Sputnik.md and RTR Moldova omitted relevant topics of the day, i.e. did not cover them in newscasts. Sputnik.md and Noi.md also failed to ensure the right of reply.

The IJC recommends the Broadcasting Coordinating Council to take note of these findings and initiate the monitoring of TV channels that deliver manipulating information. The IJC will continue monitoring the above-mentioned media outlets in terms of coverage of current events.
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This report has been produced by the Independent Journalism Center as part of the Media Against False and Tendentious Information Campaign “STOP FALS!” conducted by the Association of Independent Press (AIP), the Independent Journalism Center (IJC), and the Association of Independent TV Journalists (AITVJ).