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According to the source, the contest for the two vacancies on the Observer's Board will be announced at the first meeting of BCC that will most probably take place next week. The conditions of the contest will not be changed and will comply with the Broadcasting Code of Moldova.
It should be reminded that at the last week's plenary session, the parliamentary majority elected four members on the Observers' Board of Teleradio-Moldova, namely: Vitaly Tapes, Stela Nistor, Ludmila Vasilache and Lilia Gurez.
In a public statement released by seven media NGOs, including the Center for Independent Journalism, the authors expressed concern that 'none of the four elected persons is a media expert with extensive experience in broadcasting and/or a person that is not politically affiliated', which "shows that the positions were distributed counting on the new members' political loyalty". The signatory organizations send a warning signal about possible political interference also when electing the new members of the Broadcasting Coordinating Council.
Earlier, Liberal MP Corina Fusu, speaking during the Parliament's plenary session, referred to the “politicization of the media in Moldova”. Mrs. Fusu was wondering why only four persons were appointed out of the 12 candidates selected by the Broadcasting Coordinating Council to fill in the vacancies on the Observers' Board. “We all know the vicious practice of Moldovan politicians to control the media. Could it be that the remaining two positions have been kept for the candidates proposed by the Communist Party? The assumption seems legit: the alliance formed by the Liberal Democrats, the Communists and the Democrats agreed to share between themselves all positions in this state, and the communists claimed control over the Broadcasting Coordinating Council and the Public Broadcaster”, inquired Corina Fusu.
Asked by Media Azi, Petru Macovei, executive director of the Independent Press Association, one of the 12 candidates for the position of observer, who received the BCC's support after public debates, said that “the way the Parliament appointed the four members on the Observers' Board clearly shows that the positions were filled based on the political loyalty of candidates, which is not only unfortunate but also outrageous”.
The media expert regrets that after more than five years after the events in 2009, after significant investment was made to start reforms, including the reform of the audiovisual and of the public broadcaster, the politicians persist in their desire to exercise political control of Teleradio-Moldova, even if the national legislation guarantees the editorial independence of the public broadcaster.
“As for me personally, I knew that my chances of being elected were slim because I have no political support. Another candidate, Ion Bunduchi, is perhaps the best media expert, in particular when it comes to public broadcasting and it would have been a very valuable member of the Observers' Board, who might have suggested solutions to many problems of this company; however, he was not selected either, also because he has no political support. We regret that the Observers' Board is used as a tool for political interference in the work of the public broadcaster. What is happening today is a sign of hiccupped democratic reforms in key fields in this country, one of which is the public broadcaster. There were many political issues before as well, in particular with regard to reform implementation; however, now it seems that the reform will just be buried for good”, said the expert.
