December Edition of Mass Media in Moldova Magazine Issued. Several Reasons for You to Read It

A new edition of Mass Media in Moldova magazine of December 2018 was issued. We know you are looking forward to it, so we are glad to give you the first information about its authors and topics. Sure, we will not disclose too much so as not to deprive you of the pleasure of discovering its content and analysing the articles on your own.

Why you should necessarily read the Mass Media in Moldova magazine? Because it is the only publication to present the issues of national media and more in details. And as we all know, details matter in journalism. Media researcher Aneta Gonta confirms this in her ‘Media in the Era of Fake News – the Implosion of Trust in our Country and in the World’ article. Find out what explains the lack of trust in the press in Moldova, as well as in Europe and the US, and what we should do to rebuild this trust. In the same issue, media expert Ion Bunduchi presents the draft law on advertising, which was lucky to be voted by Parliament in the first reading and unlucky to be abandoned by MPs at the final stretch. This was despite of (or perhaps because of) the fact that draft law promotes best international practices in the field, including the principles of fair competition.

Another reason – to track media phenomena, for instance, the one of concentration, which has expanded, especially lately. You may not know that certain radio and TV broadcasters also have fallen under the politicians’ control, even if officially they are registered to other entities. Read the ‘Party TV Channels, PR Companies and Misinformation Laboratories’ article by Anastasia Nani to find out who stays under whose shadow. The article by Alina Radu, head of the ‘Ziarul de Garda’, also speaks about the politically controlled press. It reflects upon how gender equality is respected in Moldova, both in electoral campaigns and in everyday life.

Or, why not, read the magazine to find out why and who instigates hatred against journalists. The author of the article with this title, the journalist Vitalie Calugareanu, reproduces, inter alia, the conversation he had with a troll. The latter revealed some of his ‘craft’ over a beer, so it would be a shame not to know the life of Moldovan trolls, the people behind them, and why they have gotten pretty brazen prior to the election. On the other hand, the interview with Natalia Morari, chairperson of the ‘Media Alternativa’ Association, will tell you about the risks taken by free journalists in Moldova and how they feel being watched for publishing critical materials about high-ranking state officials.
Thus, you have plenty of reasons to read the ‘Mass Media in Moldova’ magazine. And who could resist the temptation to read the article by Cristina Leva-Mogildea, the title of which pulls like a magnet: ‘Sledgehammer and Kaleidoscope: A Journalist’s Double Loyalty to Truth and Balance.’ The author describes with great detail how things are with truth both in our society and that of Mr. Trump. Who would not be curious to learn more about the US president’s fear of the media? The Researcher Victor Gotisan read the ‘Trump in the White House’ book and wrote a review about it. This book is really valuable, in part because it's written by the American journalist Bob Woodward from The Washington Post, who, along with Carl Bernstein, removed the US president Richard Nixon from office.

Finally, maybe you would like to know if the new technologies have reached Moldovan regional media? The journalist Stela Roman is present in the magazine with a broad analytical article on the subject. And if you have a smartphone in your pocket and do not know how to use it for journalistic purposes, none other than Dumitru Stoianov from RISE Moldova – good specialist in MOJO – will come to the rescue.  
Enough with the presentations. As we have said before we would like you to discover the new issue on your own. Many of the ideas put forward by the authors surely will resonate among the journalists by profession and by vocation. And those who just watch TV and read newspapers will also find a lot of useful information, good to digest during winter evenings by the fireplace (while enjoying a glass of mulled wine :)).

It should be added that the Romanian version has long been ready, but we postponed the official launch till this week, to publish the English and Russian versions. By the end of the month we also intend to offer you the print version in three languages.
The December 2018 edition of the Mass Media in Moldova magazine was supported financially by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency through the Swedish Embassy in Chisinau.

Enjoy the read!