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On Friday, January 13, several civil society organizations issued a statement in which they noted with concern the intensification of verbal aggression and inadequate reactions against journalists by some members and supporters of political parties who used insulting and aggressive language towards journalists in the blogging sections of some media outlets. The statement has been signed by the Independent Journalism Center, Association of Independent Press, Association of Electronic Press, Journalistic Investigations Center, Press Freedom Committee, Association of Independent TV Journalists, “Access-Info” Center, Transparency International Moldova, East Europe Foundation, IJC Romania, Legal Resources Center of Moldova, Convention of Media Organizations of Romania, IDIS Viitorul. They drew the attention of the political parties „to give up outrageous language and adopt a constructive, fair and equitable attitude towards journalists and the media.”
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In a statement issued on Thursday, January 19, the Independent Journalism Center, the Association of Independent Press, the Association of Electronic Press, the Journalistic Investigations Center, the Association of Independent TV Journalists, the “Access-Info” Center expressed concern about a representative of the Chisinau Prosecution Office hearing journalist Mariana Rata of www.anticoruptie.md investigations portal. It happened after Vladimir Botnari, former commissioner of Chisinau municipality, filed a criminal complaint to the Prosecution Office, invoking the fact that the journalist accessed and disseminated, without his consent, personal data that concerned him and his family. Signatories challenged such practices, qualifying them as “incompatible with the rule of law standards”, and drew attention to the fact that the Law on the Press guarantees to journalists the right to obtain and disseminate information. They appealed to officials, urging them not to restrict the journalists’ right to do their job of informing the public.
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Ethics and Professionalism
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On Tuesday, January 17, 2017, the Press Council of Moldova published an appeal to all journalists, urging them to refrain from involvement in the settling of accounts between politicians and businessmen by means of media products, and reminding them that they are entitled to refuse assignments that contradict their own beliefs or the ethical rules of journalism. According to the Press Council, the past year saw intensification of campaigns aimed at discrediting and stigmatizing individuals or groups, which involved some of the media outlets. At the same time, there has recently been noted “involvement of some journalists in production of materials aimed to denigrate persons, sometimes by provoking them to react inadequately, instead of finding the truth for good information.” “Involvement in any discrediting campaigns compromises both the journalists’ reputation and the public trust in the media,” the appeal says.
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Several non-governmental organizations in the field of media and human rights signaled, at a press conference on Tuesday, January 24, about intensification of cases of pressure on journalists, especially on those who do investigations. The event was titled “Alarming Pressure on Journalists in Moldova: From Brutality and Intimidation to Criminal Lawsuits”, and it was organized in the context of prosecution hearings of journalist Mariana Rata, who wrote an article about former commissioner of Chisinau municipality Vladimir Botnari. Earlier, he filed a complaint to the prosecution office, claiming that the journalist had accessed and disseminated without his consent personal data about him and his family. According to civil society representatives, this case represents intimidation of journalists and restriction of access to information. Attendees also mentioned that the name of a public official or information about their wealth do not constitute personal data.
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In solidarity with colleagues who do professional journalistic investigations, on Thursday, January 26, media NGOs have launched a campaign to support investigative journalism and access to information. The campaign will include a variety of activities, such as press clubs, a conference with the participation of experts from our country and from abroad etc. All media outlets were encouraged to participate in this campaign. At the same time, public authorities were urged to reasonably interpret and apply the law on protection of personal data and to comply with European standards in doing it. According to Nadine Gogu, the Executive Director of the Independent Journalism Center, cases of restriction of access to information are at the basis of the decreasing number of investigative articles and they once again prove that there is a problem with the law on protection of personal data. “We believe that we should intervene into this law in order to improve it for the benefit of society, so that – by means of provisions referring to freedom of expression and to the connection between protection of personal data and freedom of expression – we do not make journalists’ work more difficult than it is,” Nadine Gogu said.
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Media representatives have supported the campaign against abusive and wrong interpretation of the law on protection of personal data launched on Thursday, January 26, by several NGOs working in the field of the media and human rights. Thus, portals Anticoruptie.md, Ziarul de Garda, Ziarul Naţional, SP Balti, Agora.md, Unimedia.info, Deschide.md, Moldova.org, Realitatea.md, Timpul.md, Report.md, Independent.md, Newsmaker.md, Ecopresa.md, Diez.md, Crimemoldova.md, Rise Moldova, Mold-Street, TV 7, Noroc TV, Pro TV, Today.md published articles without indicating the protagonists’ names in news, in order to prove that information of public interest cannot be depersonalized. Journalists wanted to draw attention to what the news might look like if they have no access to data of public interest and if officials interpret the law on protection of personal data the way they see fit. The campaign in support of investigative journalists will continue in the coming weeks with other actions.
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On Thursday, January 12, Jurnal Trust Media announced in a press release that the owner of the building where they rented space for nearly seven years forced them to vacate the offices within 35 days, and for that reason, from January 16, 2017, Jurnal TV channel will have a new broadcast schedule, where only several original products will be preserved. On the other hand, Skytower International Business Center issued a press release, saying that the decision to terminate the tenancy came “in strict compliance with contractual and legal provisions, after negotiations and amicable attempts to recover debt for rent.” In this context, Jurnal Trust Media General Director Andrian Gitu wonders why “Capital Estate” LLC terminated the contract now, given that in June 2016 the tenancy contract was extended for a period of three years. Media representatives, civil society activists and ordinary media consumers have been unpleasantly surprised by this situation with Jurnal TV trust.
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The Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC) rejected Jurnal TV accusations of discriminating attitude against this TV channel and of intention to withdraw its broadcasting license. In a statement sent on January 19 to several embassies and non-governmental organizations in the country, the broadcasting regulator stated regarding the situation with Jurnal TV that the BCC “disapproves of the accusations against itself and qualifies the allegations of intention to withdraw the channel’s broadcasting license as untrue insinuations.” The statement came shortly after Jurnal TV accused the broadcasting regulator of hostile attitude towards the TV channel that shows in repeated application of sanctions to it, which, according to the channel, are not provided for by law. The BCC also expressed hope that a solution would soon be found for the situation with Jurnal TV and that the channel would return to the broadcast schedule approved by the Council. Regarding the sanctions from the election period, the BCC claims that in fact sanctions were applied to several broadcasters, and for some of them penalties were much harsher than those for Jurnal TV.
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On Friday, January 27, young people from Chisinau participated in the first event of the year within the European Café. The activity was organized by the Independent Journalism Center at the iHUB Chisinau office, and the topic was “Social Media – Double-Edged Weapon”. In an informal atmosphere, participants learned about the online opportunities and risks from guests Elena Robu, Victor Spinu, Vlada Ciobanu and Eugenia Maxim. Among other things, young people found out about the spread of falsehood via social media and its purposes; about promotion of civic initiatives via blogs and social media; about trolling and how to fight this phenomenon; about online safety and risks to children and teenagers. European Café is an event organized within the “Strengthening Independence in Communication Media” project implemented by the Independent Journalism Center and Internews.
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The Media Azi TV Show
The two editions of the Media Azi show covered current topics, “The Case of Jurnal TV: Attack on Press Freedom or Commercial Conflict?” and “Protection of Personal Data versus Journalists’ Access to Information”. Thus, in the 29th edition journalist Nicolae Negru and his guest, journalist and university lecturer Arcadie Gherasim, tried to explain the reasons that generated the conflict between Jurnal Trust Media and the Skytower business center and to find an answer to the question whether in the current situation in Moldova it is possible for a media outlet to exist as a business. Next, in the 30th edition, Independent Journalism Center Executive Director Nadine Gogu and her guests Nadejda Hriptievschi, Program Director at the Legal Resources Center, and Sergiu Bozianu, Deputy Director of the Records and Control Directorate of the National Center for Protection of Personal Data, discussed aspects related to personal data and the journalists’ possibilities to obtain information of public interest.
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In early January, the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) launched the December issue of the biannual analytical magazine “Mass Media in Moldova”. The publication includes such sections as “The Press and the State”, “Letter of the Law”, “Media in Elections”, “Fight with Propaganda”, “Education and Research”, “Regional Media”, “Media Management”, “Woman in the Media”, “New Media”, “Review” etc. Articles are written by journalists, university professors, media experts, and they cover the most current issues of domestic media. “Mass Media in Moldova” is a project of the IJC. The December 2016 issue was supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency through the Swedish Embassy in Chisinau.
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