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At the meeting, the head of the BC addressed an appeal to media service providers in the context of the “security crisis”. At the meeting of January 26, the BC president Liliana Vițu reminded about the provisions of the Code of Audiovisual Media Services regarding the prohibition of programs “likely to propagate, incite, promote or justify (...) other forms of hatred based on intolerance”, ensuring a clear distinction between facts and opinions, and presenting information impartially and in good faith. “It is necessary to mention that good faith is not an abstract notion and it is not related to someone’s wish, when you show it if you want, and don’t show it if not. Good faith is a fundamental principle of civil law. (...) Thus, if the text of a license or an authorization says one thing and the license holder does something else, then we can no longer say that they act in good faith,” Liliana Vițu said.
She pointed out, regarding the distinction between facts and opinions, that, according to the legislation, “a fact is something that has taken place or is taking place and the veracity of which can be proven.” “The thing that has not happened yet is not a fact but rather a prediction, a promise, only not a fact. Opinion is an attitude to something, and the veracity of opinion cannot be proved, it is impossible to prove. This is how we distinguish facts from opinions,” Liliana Vițu said.
The BC president called on all audiovisual media service providers “to rely on verified facts, refrain from inflammatory language, and show maximum responsibility in the development of audiovisual programs.”
EX-OFFICIO NOTIFICATION REGARDING A PROGRAM ON NTV MOLDOVA
In the above context, the BC member Eugeniu Rîbca proposed monitoring a program on NTV Moldova, which is retransmitted from Moscow on weekends. “I propose that we monitor the program New Russian Sensations [Novyye russkiye sensatsii] broadcast on NTV Moldova on Sunday, January 23, in the context of this topic,” Eugeniu Rîbca said.
Aneta Gonța reminded that, at the end of 2021, NTV Moldova announced the BC about giving up some programs retransmitted from Russia that are “likely to propagate certain messages allegedly delivered through the articles that Madam President [Liliana Vițu] mentioned.” “However, a month later we were notified that they were returning into the broadcasting schedule, although two of them actually never even disappeared from it. Which is bad faith, too – saying one thing and doing something else,” Gonța added.
Thus, the BC unanimously decided to monitor the program based on the ex-officio notification by Eugeniu Rîbca. The head of the BC said that the Council had been notified about this program by the public, too, but without specifying who exactly notified it.
According to NTV, New Russian Sensations is a weekly program in the form of journalistic investigation. The January 23 edition of the program focused on political events in Ukraine.
