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Monthly Bulletin, April 2020
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The 2020 Freedom of the Press Report, which was issued by Reporters Without Borders, showed that Moldova ranks 91st among 180 countries. No changes from the last year. Media outlets in Moldova are diverse but "highly polarised." They are affected by "chronic political instability and the negative influence of oligarchs." According to the research, "the editorial policy of the main media outlets is closely linked with the political and business interests of their owners, an issue that grows worse, especially during election campaigns." The authors noted that the media empire of the former leader of the Democrats, Plahotniuc, who lost his influence, was replaced with a media group affiliated with the Party of Socialists. Thus, the concentration of media ownership, the lack of editorial independence, and the low quality of journalism are still unresolved issues. There is also a concern regarding the fact that the broadcasting regulator is not independent.
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The Independent Journalism Center of Moldova mentioned that the state of emergency introduced by the authorities in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic is not just about working under special security conditions, but also about restricted access to information of public concern and lack of transparency. "We have been watching with concern the authorities making decisions that limited or restricted access to information, to the detriment of citizens. For several weeks, the government officials communicated unilaterally and selectively accepted the invitations to TV shows. Thus, many of our colleagues do not have the chance to ask the authorities questions that would provide clarity on the major issues that concern us all." Therefore, the Journalist Crisis Cell was launched to report cases of restricted access to information and freedom of expression. On April 13, 25 media outlets signed a joint request to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection demanding to hold online weekly press conferences that would be attended by journalists with direct questions.
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On April 18, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection informed that it would respond to the April 13 request of the Journalists' Crisis Cell to organize online press conferences for asking questions. The Ministry is committed to holding extended format conferences once a week, during which previously unavailable updated statistical data on COVID-19 is going to be provided. However, until April 27, ministry officials did not hold any press conferences for journalists. In a new appeal addressed to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection, the members of the Crisis Cell asked the institution to hold to its commitment towards the media: "We still believe that, having access to such conferences we will both be able to support the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection in its efforts to act transparently, and observe the right of Moldovan people to be informed' says the statement of the 25 media outlets." The signatories called on the Commission for Emergency Situations to ensure that online press conferences are held.
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On April 30, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection announced that it would organize on May 1, the first online press conference with the participation of the press. The message came after the journalists' Crisis Cell sent a repeated appeal to the authority. To be able to attend the online press conference, the newsrooms are urged to delegate one representative at a time. Each of the participants will be able to ask at most two questions about the situation regarding the pandemic in the country. According to the Ministry of Health, online conferences will be held weekly.
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During his speech at the Parliament plenary session on April 23, the PSRM Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Vlad Batrincea, accused journalists of receiving under-the-table salaries of thousands of euros and not paying any taxes. Also, the MP was discontent with the media companies contacting staff at health facilities to obtain information regarding the pandemic and the state of emergency. In a joint declaration, which was signed by 30 media outlets-members of the Journalists' Crisis Cell and major media NGOs (including the Independent Journalism Center, the Association of Independent Press and the Association Electronic Press), media representatives condemned the Socialist MP's statements. According to the signatories, his speech defames the journalists’ status and contains incitements of hate against the media. The authors of the statement asked the MP Batrincea to apologize publicly to the media representatives and stop the spread of unfounded accusations against them.
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The Independent Journalism Center (IJC) gives free legal consultation to journalists and media outlets from Moldova in order to contribute to the identification and resolution of the legal problems media outlets encounter.
Consultations are available regarding mass-media law, the rights and obligations of journalists (protection of honor, dignity and professional reputation, the right to freedom of expression and the right to inform, access to information, the right to privacy, the legal status of media outlets, obligations in regards to advertising and copyright, etc.). Inquirers can benefit from legal aid, and receive copies of the laws in force, as well as information about other sources of necessary support, etc.
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Alexandr Esaulenco, Director of Security and Intelligence Service (SIS), issued an order requesting the blockage of two additional online portals (news-romania24h.xyz and caramida.news.blog). These portals allegedly disseminated fake news regarding the coronavirus. SIS has blocked 56 websites to date. Remember that electronic communications service providers must immediately block online sources that spread fake news about Covid-19, according to the decision of the Commission for Emergency Situations from March 23, 2020 and the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology.
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After the Covid-19 outbreak in Moldova, the number of days required to release information of public interest from the authorities has tripled. The new deadline was specified in a March 18 decision of the Commission for Emergency Situations, and is valid throughout the entire state of emergency. The deadline used to be 15 days working days from the moment a request was submitted, which could be extended by a maximum of five days in the case that a large amount of information was needed. The new timeframe is 45 working days (60 working days in some cases). In this context, Ombudsman Mihail Cotorobai requested the Commission for Emergency Situations to cancel this provision. In a solicitation sent to Prime Minister Chicu, the Ombudsman invoked the requirements of the Constitution regarding the right of individuals to have access to any information of public interest. The Ombudsman cited the Council of Europe's guide for governments on the observance of human rights, democracy and the rule of law during pandemics. The guide states: "freedom of expression, including free and timely flow of information, is an essential factor for the media's ability to report pandemic issues." |
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The Press Council urged media outlets not to allow social media stigmatization of the elderly or of Moldovan citizens who want to return to the country after living abroad. According to the Council, the elderly are one of the most vulnerable groups to the virus. Comments regarding them need to be made with care and respect for human dignity "to avoid misperceptions and discrimination or even hateful comments regarding this social group."
The press release mentioned that the number of hate speech comments increased significantly in regards to requests of Moldovan citizens living abroad, asking the authorities to provide them with transportation home. Representatives of the Press Council argued that in some cases, such comments were made by decision-makers as well. The Press Council asked journalists and editorial offices to manage public comments on articles under the provisions of the Code of Ethics.
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About 60% of the presidential family’s income in 2019 (about MDL 395,000, equivalent to about EUR 20,000) was provided by Galina Dodon, the wife of President Dodon. She obtained the money working as CFO at the Exclusiv Media Company, according to official documents. The company owns the TV channels NTV Moldova, THT Exclusiv TV, and the newspaper "Argumenti i Fakti v Moldove." The company is owned by the socialist MP Corneliu Furculita and managed by his wife, Ludmila Furculita. According to the data, her salary income was higher than her husband's in 2019 (almost MDL 216,000, about EUR 11,000). The owner of the company, Corneliu Furculita, is currently the only MP who still owns TV stations since Vlad Plahotniuc left the country last June. Exclusiv Media Company is involved in a pending criminal case regarding alleged money laundering. The General Prosecutor's Office claims that the criminal prosecution work on this case continues. |
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Magistrates from the Orhei Court forced the civil association Pentru Orhei to transfer funds to the Teleradio-Moldova Company (TRM). TRM accused Pentru Orhei of not paying for services of "production and broadcast of information material" (MDL 360,000, or approximately EUR 18,000). The magistrates examined a total of nine court cases in this lawsuit, which was filed on the basis of complaints submitted by TRM against Pentru Orhei. Olga Bordeianu, Director of Teleradio-Moldova, said that after the court announced its decision, Pentru Orhei paid its debt in full. Pentru Orhei is affiliated with the politician Ilan Sor, who was convicted in the "stolen billion" lawsuit and now internationally wanted.
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In a March 4 decision, the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) rejected the prosecutor's appeal in a lawsuit involving journalist Vadim Ungureanu. In 2014, Ungureanu was accused of doing the former Deputy Head of the Information Technology Service at the Ministry of the Interior, Dan Chirita, "a favor not to publish denigrative information about him on the Deschide.md news website" in exchange for information on several Moldovan artists. At that time, the court found Vadim Ungureanu guilty for corruption, sentencing him to three years in prison and fining him MDL 70,000 (3580 EUR). However, he was acquitted in the Court of Appeal. In March 2020, the SCJ magistrates rejected the prosecutor's appeal to the Chisinau District Prosecutor's Office against the decision of the Criminal College of the Chisinau Court of Appeal of October 23, 2019, on the ground that it is "manifestly unfounded." The SCJ's decision is final and was announced on April 6, 2020.
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Posta Moldovei resumed the distribution of newspapers and magazines on April 8. The decision was made one week after the institution stopped the distribution of periodicals to subscribers, invoking the need to provide only "emergency services" such as delivery of pensions and social benefits. Acting Director-General, Vitalie Zaharia, stated that the company was not forced by the Commission for Emergency Situations to resume newspaper distribution; however, if the Commission ordered the cessation of these postal services, they would have to comply. Previously, various editorial offices said they could not print newspapers and magazines because the distributors would not deliver them to readers and subscribers. In an appeal signed by representatives of several publications, as well as by the Association of Independent Press, they asked the authorities "to be clear about the period of the delivery downtime and to find ways to resume it as soon as possible, and to make it safe for the mail carriers and for the beneficiaries of postal services." Newstands stopped working in Moldova because of the spread-out of Covid-19.
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Between March 9-23, the volume of internet traffic had increased by almost 30% compared to the same period of the previous year, according to the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology. Thus, the volume of internet traffic in the monitored period amounted to about 5.6 million Gb, which is 28.5% more than the average volume of traffic in a similar period of 2019. The Agency stated that, despite the large volume of traffic, the infrastructure of the providers did not collapse and the service did not decrease in quality. Previously, representatives of the Tv8.md and Esp.md mentioned that the audience of online portals significantly increased during COVID-19.
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According to the 2019 statistics of the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology, for the first time in recent years the number of subscribers to Internet-paid TV services has exceeded the share of those who use cable networks. According to the Agency, the share of IPTV subscribers in 2019 was 53.8% (180,500 subscribers) of the total number of subscribers (335,400), and 46.2% were customers who use coaxial cable. For comparison purposes, in 2018 IPTV was used by about 159,200 subscribers (48.3%), while coaxial cable – by 170,000 people (51.6%), meaning that Internet television was used by a smaller number of people compared to other types of services. In 2019, the largest providers on the paid TV services had the following shares: Moldtelecom – 38.2%, Sun Communications – 15.8% and TV BOX (represented by StarNet Solutions) – 16.4%. The cumulative share of the other 101 providers was 29.6%.
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A public television monitoring report released on April 16 by the Independent Journalism Center stated that, between March 9-15, 2020, the public TV channel Moldova 1 largely adjusted its news content to fit the government's agenda. Thus, in about half of the news pieces of the most important newscast of the day, "Mesager," the central authorities or state institutions were cited as sources. At the same time, President Dodon appeared in a positive context in almost all news broadcasts. The Socialist Party was also favored compared to the opposition parties. Political opposition was disadvantaged because it was quoted less.The survey also revealed several ethical violations, such as changes in emphases, the generalization of information, the right to reply not being granted, and use of the "Saviour/messiah" manipulation technique. The author of the survey, the media researcher Victor Gotisan, recommended the Broadcasting Council act at its own initiative to monitor the public channel for violations of the law and apply the necessary penalties. He also recommended the Teleradio-Moldova Supervisory Board supervise the activity of Moldova 1 to make sure it achieves its mission to inform the public in a fair and equidistant way.
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The Facebook social network was used by media outlets and journalists in the parliamentary election campaign in Hancesti, who posted materials to promote or criticize certain candidates – these were the conclusions drawn by the authors of a pilot study, conducted by the Independent Journalism Center. The study, conducted between March 9 and 22, 2020, analyzed the posts of 5 media outlets – Jurnal TV, TV8, Sputnik, NTV Moldova, and Publika, as well as of 15 journalists from these media outlets during the election campaign for the new Parliamentary Elections in constituency No 38 in Hancesti. The monitoring found that the pandemic considerably affected the entire course of the elections in Hancesti. TV8 and Jurnal TV promoted messages to postpone the election, while NTV Moldova, Sputnik, and Publika were silent on this issue. Journalists behaved similarly to the media outlets they represent. The data also showed that social networks could be an enabling environment for disinformation campaigns. The authors of the study recommend that journalists and media outlets comply with ethical norms in their electoral coverage on social media. Civil society organizations were recommended to review the status of social media in the Journalist's Code of Ethics, taking into account the opportunities and dangers of the online environment.
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According to an opinion poll conducted by IMAS at the beginning of April, which aimed to assess citizens' perceptions of the pandemic, shows that the Moldovan public believes most of the fake news about coronavirus appears on news websites and social networks, while fake news is least prevalent in newspapers and on the radio. For 80% of respondents, fake news is an issue (for 58% – definitely; for 22% – to a certain extent). When asked how often they encountered fake news about coronavirus in the first week of April, 36% of respondents said that almost every day, and 18% – at least once a week. A share of 4% of citizens said they encountered fake news several times a month, and 26% said it never or very rarely happened to them. Of those who reported encountering fake news, 68% said they found them on news websites, followed by social networks (65%) and television (53%). The least amount of fake news was heard on the radio (16%) and read in the newspapers (9%).
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In April, a new Intelligent Data (iData) survey showed that the number of citizens who read press releases from the Ministry of Health about the evolution of COVID-19 had increased almost three times compared to March. Unlike the previous iData survey (March 13-15), the share of those reading the Ministry's press releases increased from about 20% to 50%. Respondents' confidence in the Ministry's information also increased (from 10% to 16%). According to the survey, the Ministry's press releases were almost as popular as social networks (52%) and news websites (54%). Concurrently, television remains the primary and most trusted source of information for 82% of respondents.
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In the context of the pandemic and the state of emergency, journalists from the Moldova work under challenging conditions and have limited access to information of public interest. In March, the Commission for Emergency Situations decided to triple the period during which journalists must wait to receive answers to their information requests, extending it from 15 to 45 days. What consequences can such a decision have? Find out the answer to this question from the guest of the Media Azi show, lawyer Tatiana Puiu, who serves as the Local Representative of Freedom House in Moldova.
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