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Media NGOs expressed concern regarding the restriction of TV8 journalists’ access to a meeting convened by the National Political Council of the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) on Friday, September 14. According to information published on www.tv8.md, a TV8 reporter was denied entry to the event on the grounds that the broadcaster’s editorial policy would interfere with PDM’s leadership. In a joint declaration, key media NGOs – the Independent Journalism Center, the Association of Independent Press, the Association of Electronic Press, the Center for Investigative Journalism, the Press Freedom Committee, the Association of Independent TV Journalists, and RISE Moldova – condemned the selective admission of journalists to public events, calling such action unacceptable for any political party, and particularly for a ruling party that claims to uphold democratic values.
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On Tuesday, September 18, TV8 journalists were again denied access to the Democratic Party’s (PDM) office. At the PDM’s weekly briefing, party leader Vladimir Plahotniuc spoke on government reforms, and Prime Minister Pavel Filip introduced two new ministers – Silvia Radu from the Ministry of Health and Nicolae Ciubuc from the Ministry of Agriculture. When asked about his position on denying TV8 reporters from attending the event, Prime Minister Pavel Filip explained “My view is that events have to be reported objectively. I have seen less objectivity from this TV broadcaster.” On Friday, September 14, a TV8 reporter was also denied access to the PDM’s office due to the broadcaster’s editorial policy.
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The Orhei Police Inspectorate did not find any ‘constituent elements of crime or misdemeanor’ expressed in the behavior of Marina Tauber, Mayor of Jora de Mijloc Township and Deputy Leader of the ‘Sor’ Party. Ms. Tauber was under investigation after allegedly preventing the Director of Radio Orhei, Tatiana Djamanov, from performing her journalistic activities at a recent demonstration.
According to the police, participants of the demonstration “simply expressed their opinion.” Consequently, examination of the case was closed. In the complaint filed with the police on August 7, Djamanov demanded Tauber be held accountable for having slandered Radio Orhei and for restricting access to information during the demonstration that took place in Orhei on August 5.
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On March 5, 2018, the Chief Prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (APO), Viorel Morari, issued an order specifying that APO prosecutors are only permitted to interact directly with media representatives in exceptional circumstances, with prior consent of the prosecutor concerned. In all other cases, communication must take place exclusively through the Press Service. After the adoption of these new procedures, several journalists complained that the amount of public information that they received from APO was severely limited. “Now it’s almost impossible for a journalist to talk to an APO prosecutor, given the overwhelming number of applications under that order. Moreover, prosecutors are refusing to talk to journalists even when they are directly targeted in an article,” claims Victor Mosneag, an investigative journalist.
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State enterprise Posta Moldovei continues to impose arbitrary conditions on the distribution of periodicals by subscription and retail, significantly impacting the editorial independence of the press. In a public call, the Association of Independent Press (API) urged Posta Moldovei not to abuse its dominant position on the distribution market. According to API’s call, as the single distributor of periodic press in the country, Posta Moldovei is imposing drastic conditions on editorial offices with broadcasting service contracts for the year 2019. These contracts contain abusive, unilateral and sometimes unfair terms. For instance, Posta Moldovei demands that editorial offices provide space on the front page free-of-charge for the post’s advertising; it also reserves the right to modify the trade mark-up for the retail sales of periodicals, to refuse to distribute publications if their return exceeds 50 percent of the quantity sent for sales during three consecutive months, etc. API’s appeal targeted the relevant state institutions.
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A number of journalists have received job offers from Euro TV and Orhei TV (previously Alt TV), the owners of which are affiliated with Orhei Mayor Ilan Sor. The manager of the two TV broadcasters – Dumitru Chitoroaga, a ‘proxy representative’ of the Sor Party – confirmed that the management is currently preparing for the launch of a new concept for the two TV broadcasters and that they are hiring. However, he denied that the two TV broadcasters represent the interests of Ilan Sor. Officially, the owner of these two broadcasters is Rita Tvik; Ms. Tvik and her husband Vladimir Novosadiuc, head of the Sputnik Moldova Agency, were mentioned in a report developed by Kroll – the company hired by the Moldovan authorities to investigate the bank frauds. Petru Macovei, API’s Executive Director, warns that politicians invest heavily in bribing journalists in the run-up to elections, but that one’s journalistic reputation is far more important than the few thousands of euros that can be earned as a journalist on an electoral campaign.
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Euro TV, a television broadcaster owned by Orhei Mayor and ‘Sor’ Party Leader Ilan Sor, was recently rebranded under the name ‘Central Television.’ At a meeting held on Tuesday, September 11, the Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) voted in favour of this decision by majority vote. The only BCC member to vote against the decision was Olga Gututui, who pointed out that the manager of the TV broadcaster is the representative of a political party, and thus called to question the compatibility of the two roles. It is important to note that “Central Television” is the same name of the primary state TV channel under the Soviet Union.
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The Independent Journalism Center (IJC) is providing legal aid to Victor Sofroni, a founder of Rezina's weekly independent newspaper Cuvântul [The Word] and director of ‘ImpulsTV’ from Soldanesti. Sofroni filed a complaint with the court against the Prosecutor’s Office order on the commencement of contravention proceedings. Prosecutors accuse Victor Sofroni of intentionally making a false police call; the journalist claims that he only asked police to confirm anonymous information regarding a possible crime.
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On September 12, the Government rejected two draft laws on media tax facilities, which were developed by the Parliamentary Group on Improving the Media Law, supported by the Council of Europe and co-chaired by Freedom House under the USAID-funded MEDIA-M project, implemented by Internews. President of the Association of Independent Press (API) and Director of the Balti ‘SP’ newspaper, Veaceslav Perunov, stated that this was proof of MP’s disinterest in the development of independent press. Executive Director of the Electronic Press Association of Moldova, Ion Bunduchi, expressed concern that the Government would reject a draft law developed by a parliamentary group formed by Parliament.
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On Wednesday, September 12, the Supreme Court of Justice ruled in favour of the Comrat People’s Assembly (APG) regarding a membership scandal in the Council of Observers (CO). Following allegations of mismanagement, the entire membership of the CO was dismissed in December 2017, and new members were appointed. Notably, the APG built its legal case on the basis of a Gagauzian Broadcasting Law adopted by the members of the People’s Assembly that stands in violation of national law, particularly the Broadcasting Code of the Republic of Moldova. Nevertheless, the SCJ found that the dismissal in December 2017 of CO membership was fully legal. The decision of the SCJ is irrevocable.
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Key media NGOs disputed the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) from September 12th ruling in favor of the Comrat People’s Assembly (APG). A declaration signed by seven media NGOs – including the Independent Journalism Center, the Association of Independent Press, and APEL - points out that the SCJ based its decision on the Gagauzia Broadcasting Law – a legal act adopted in violation of Moldovan law. The NGOs argue that Article 12 of the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia stipulates that the APG is not empowered to adopt normative acts regulating broadcasting. In this context, they demand the Superior Council of Magistracy take action and verify the truth and fairness of SCJ’s decision: “We base our request on Article 12(6) of the Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia which states that ‘the normative acts of Gagauzia that violate the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and this law shall be declared null and void.’”
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The Independent Journalism Centre (IJC) continues to urge authorities to be open to the press and not hide public data from journalists. In a recent IJC video, several journalists argue that their access to information is restricted under different pretexts – including personal data protection, state and trade secrets, qualifying requests for information as petitions, and obligating journalists to request information via letters instead of emails or telephone calls. Over the past three years, the IJC has been working hard to improve the Law on Access to Information. In July 2018, a draft law including the recommendations of media NGOs was tabled in Parliament. Journalists in the video express the conviction that a solution exists and needs only to be adopted.
How does native advertising work? What does it look like? What are the best practices and formats? The founder and publisher of Meduza.io, Ilia Krasilshchik, spoke on this topic last week in Chisinau. He provided a three-day training on native advertising for MEDIA-M key partners to help them improve knowledge and capacity for content monetization. In a meeting with journalists organized by the Center for Independent Journalism in the framework of the MEDIA-M project, he explained the elements that characterize the global media market, as well as how to identify new writing approaches to maintain the interest of media consumers.
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Freedom House published the call for both rising and experienced independent researchers, scholars, and affiliated research analysts, especially those based in Moldova, the Eastern Partnership region, and the European Union, for forward-looking briefs on the following themes:
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Media and the 2019 parliamentary elections
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Media regulation and reforms in Moldova
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Professional journalism and the future of Moldova's media landscape
Concept proposals should be submitted to eurasia@freedomhouse.org by September 30, 2018. Additional instructions for applying can be found here.
This is a joint project of Freedom House's Europe & Eurasia Program and Nations in Transit research program, made possible with generous support from Internews Moldova and funded by USAID Moldova.
Sud-Est Junior Held Its Final Exhibition
On September 25, Sud-Est Junior (Moldova.org), an implementing partner under the Media-M project, successfully concluded its #poporulgandeste campaign. During the event, advocates of the campaign shared their experiences discussing the importance of being well-informed and using multiple sources for information with people from regions across Moldova. Also, young artists and contest participants made presentations on freedom of expression, manipulation and disinformation. See the video here.
Press Council Releases New Informational Videos
This month, the Press Council released two new informational videos on the right to reply and journalistic integrity. Watch them here.
Freedom House Continues to Support Parliamentary Working Groups
In the month of September, Freedom House continued to provide expert assistance to the Parliamentary working groups that address the Law on Freedom of Expression, the Law on Personal Data Protection, the Law on Access to Information, the Law on Advertising, the Information Security Strategy, and the Law on Press. Mandated by the Parliament Speaker with the support of an EU-CoE project, the goal is to align media-related legislation with European standards.
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What are the reasons for choosing a journalistic profession, why do very few aspiring journalists choose to stay in the profession after graduation? Journalist Ivan Sveatcenko discusses this topic in the Media Azi show with Radio Free Europe report Natalia Sergheev.
In another edition of the Media Azi show, journalist Nicolae Negru and his guest, Valeria Vitu, a reporter at Radio France International, discuss the strict due diligence measures journalists must take when reporting on protests that could degenerate into violence. The reporters discuss topics such as how journalists can avoid situations that threaten their physical safety and what to do when someone forcibly takes a journalist’s microphone or camera.
On Tuesday, 25 September, the access to one of the weekly briefings of the Democratic Party was denied to the camera crew of ‘TV8’ broadcaster for the third time. Journalist Anastasia Nani, moderator of Media Azi show, discussed this new incident with the Ziarul de Garda director Alina Radu.
The Media Azi show is produced by the MEDIA-M project, implemented by Internews with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
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