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Bodyguards to the Mayor of Orhei, Ilan Shor, and to the Deputy Leader of the Shor Party, Marina Tauber, assaulted several reporters on August 26th. They endeavoured to stop the journalists from asking questions by bodily shoving them. Police also restricted journalists' access to Independence Day events, citing the fact that they did not have special permits. Petru Macovei, the Executive Director of the Association of Independent Press (API), stated that these journalists ‘became cannon fodder for the bodyguards,’ and the police did nothing to protect them. Macovei is publically calling on Prime Minister Pavel Filip to order a broad investigation of the actions and inactions of police officers in relation to journalists over the two days in which these incidents took place.
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Eight media non-governmental organizations condemned the abuse committed by Ilan Sor’s bodyguards that obstructed journalists from recording events at the Great National Assembly Square (PMAN) on August 26th-27th, including protests and events marking Moldova’s 27 years of independence. The signatories of this declaration - Independent Journalism Center, Association of Independent Press, Association of Electronic Press, Center for Investigative Journalism, Press Freedom Committee, Association of Independent TV Journalists, ‘Access-info’ Center, and RISE Moldova - condemned these abuses and demanded both that the General Prosecutor’s Office act on its own initiative with respect to these cases and that the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs conduct its own investigation to hold appropriate individuals responsible for violating journalists’ legal rights.
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Tatiana Djamanov, Director of Radio Orhei, filed a complaint with the Orhei Police Inspectorate on August 7th, requesting that Marina Tauber be held accountable for publically slandering Radio Orhei and for limiting access to information during the demonstration on August 5th. As evidence, Djamanov provided two video recordings of the incident, demonstrating that Tauber violently interrupted an interview between a journalist and protester by attacking the journalist with a broom and using offensive language.
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One month after Ilan Shor, Mayor of Orhei and President of the ‘Shor’ Party, made threats to journalists, the Prosecutor’s Office has yet to make a decision on the case. Note that human rights NGOs have supported the declaration of the eight media NGOs urging the General Prosecutor’s Office to investigate Ilan Shor’s statements. Among the signatories of the declaration are Amnesty International Moldova, Legal Resources Center from Moldova, Information Center GENDERDOC-M, Promo-LEX and RCTV Memoria. In response to a question put by Media-azi.md (the Independent Journalism Center portal) on the progress of the investigation, Vitalie Sibov, Deputy Head-Prosecutor of Chisinau municipality stated ‘The case is under investigation and we will provide more details when we have the procedural solutions in place.’
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Eight media NGOs – Association of Independent Press, Independent Journalism Center, Association of Independent TV Journalists, Center for Investigative Journalism, Association of Investigative Reporters and Editorial Security, ‘Access-Info’ Center, Electronic Press Association from Moldova, Press Freedom Committee – expressed solidarity with the journalists of the Nokta.md portal from Gagauzia who became the target of attacks and threats after publishing an article on Maria Semionova, Head of the Culture and Tourism Department and Member of the Executive Committee of ATU Gagauz Yeri. According to the article, Semionova carries out entrepreneurial activities by working as a master of ceremonies at weddings and other events, which violates the Law on Public Service and Status of Civil Servant. After the article’s publication, the editorial team was bullied on social media and Semionova’s husband threatened them with physical violence. The signatory organizations were vocal against these attacks and asked the Prosecutor’s Office to open a legal investigation.
Media NGOs requested that the Government of the Republic of Moldova preserve the original purpose of the ‘House of Press’ building complex from the Chisinau municipality and refuse to approve an increase in the cost of rent for media outlets. The declaration was a reaction to government plans to reorganize the General Division for the Administration of Buildings and transfer management of the ‘House of Press’ complex to this division. Media representatives predict that, following the reorganization, the cost of rent will increase again and the entire complex could be opened up for privatisation. The declaration was signed by the eight largest media NGOs. |
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The representatives of five media start-ups, supported this year by the Association of Independent Press within a project financed by the Government of Great Britain, gathered at a roundtable in Chisinau on August 17th to discuss the challenges they face. Among other problems, these five media start-ups – Buzz.md (Drochia), Reper.md (Balti), Ialovnews.md (Ialoveni), Feedback.md (Basarabeasca) and Nokta.md (Comrat) - named the lack of professionals in the regions as a major challenge. They also mentioned lack of interest among youth to engage in local projects as a major problem, as outward migration from the regions continues at a high rate.
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Although the Parliament passed the Audiovisual Media Services Code in its final reading on July 27th, the text of the document is still not publicly available. According to Sergiu Cornetchi, Senior Consultant of the Parliamentary Committee for Culture, Education, Research, Youth, Sport and Mass-Media, the version passed by the MPs has not yet been made public because it is still being revised. Cornetchi mentioned that the initial draft contained 90 articles, while the current version contains 94. He stated that the new Audiovisual Code will enter into force on January 1, 2019, following its publication in the Official Gazette.
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Media outlets, including those online, will be required to enroll in a Public Media Registry and register with the Agency for Public Services, according to a draft law that seeks to amend seven legislative acts. The new draft law provides a specific definition for the profession of a journalist as “an individual who regularly collects, photographs, records video and/or audio, edits and publishes information of public interest, with the purpose of public dissemination through the media.” The draft law was developed by the Parliamentary Working Group on Improving Media Legislation and contains recommendations from the Independent Journalism Center, the Association of Independent Press and other media experts.
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A new regulation entitled ‘Civil Aviation Procedures and Instructions: Operation of Pilotless Aircrafts,’ developed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), could limit the use of drones for journalistic purposes, according to investigative journalists. The document contains both ambiguous provisions and vague wording, which allow civil servants wide scope in applying the regulation. In response, eight media organizations have asked the CAA to revisit the draft regulation and to organize public debates on the subject.
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The TROLLESS app, winner of the ‘Fifth Power’ Media Hackathon in 2016 hosted by the Independent Journalism Center, has been launched on a new platform – trolless.com. The new platform is designed to create a profile for each troll detected on the app, and allows users to find specific information about these trolls, including who they stole their identity from, what kind of posts and comments they made on the Internet, what they ‘liked’, etc. According to Victor Spinu, co-author of the TROLLES app, the platform is a step forward in the development of the project (TROLLESS – A/N), and provides a transparent and fair environment for analyzing identified troll profiles. The project was carried out with the support of the Independent Journalism Center, Internews Moldova and USAID as part of the Media-M program.
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In August, two groups, each containing 16 teachers from different Moldovan secondary education institutions, received training in media education. These teachers will now teach this optional course for 7th and 8th grade classes. The first training took place from August 10-12th, and the second from August 17-19th. The training was conducted by Loretta Handrabura, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor at ‘Ion Creanga’ SPU, and Natalia Griu, Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research. The two trainings were organized by the Independent Journalism Center under the ‘Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion and Accountability in Moldova (MEDIA-M)’ Project, funded by USAID Moldova and implemented by Internews Moldova.
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Freedom House is calling on 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.
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.
Policy Brief: Transnistria’s Media in Times of Change
Freedom House published the latest brief in the “Media Forward” series - Transnistria’s Media in Times of Change – which covers the media landscape in Transnistria. The media in Transnistria - an unrecognized, self-proclaimed republic on the territory of Moldova - remains under the control of powerful political interests. Infighting between elites in recent years has completely redrawn the media landscape, shuttering some publications and changing the editorial line of others.
The “Media Forward” policy brief series aims to enable local analysts to research and write on critical issues affecting Moldova’s media sector. The initiative is part of the Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion and Accountability in Moldova (MEDIA-M) project, implemented with the support of Internews Moldova, funded by USAID Moldova.
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Recently the Moldovan Parliament adopted the National Concept on Media Development in the Republic of Moldova. Why has this Concept been adopted just now? What were the consequences of the decades-long lack of state policies on media? This topic is discussed on the Media Azi show by journalist Nicolae Negru and his guest, director of the Electronic Press Association (APEL), Ion Bunduchi.
As a result of the lack of solidarity in the journalistic guild, attacks against journalists are growing worse. This subject is discussed on the Media Azi show by journalist Irina Gotisan and her guest, photojournalist Constantin Grigorita.
After the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Regulation enters into force, journalists will not be able to use drones in their investigations without the approval of the authorities. How well justified are these restrictions? This topic is discussed on the Media Azi show by journalist Anastasia Nani and her guests – Oleg Tofilat, international expert in transportation and public policies, and Constantin Vozian, Senior Specialist at the Civil Aviation Authority.
The BCC issued a warning to four TV channels for failing to respect a child's right to privacy when they broadcast an interview with the child’s father and revealed his identity. Journalists believe that they acted correctly and defended the minor's best interest. This issue is discussed on the Media Azi show by the Executive Director of the Independent Journalism Center, Nadine Gogu, and the investigative journalist Natalia Porubin.
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