The IJC in 2013

The past year for the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) was full of interesting events and projects that led to remarkable results. In addition to its traditional activities, during the past year the IJC introduced new ones, such as the Media Azi portal, multimedia products, trainings for journalists in new fields, and, last but not least, the IJC Caravan, which served to establishing a dialogue with the students and teachers of journalism departments of various higher education institutions.
 
Journalists representing local and national media outlets participated in training programs organized by the IJC, which were focused on such topics as online journalism, data journalism, access to information, civic journalism, gender coverage in mass media, etc. Also, over the past year the IJC again organized activities for Transnistrian and Gagauz journalists, such as internships, trainings, etc.
 
The Media Law and Policy Department monitored the situation of media in Moldova and the legislative initiatives and changes in this field. It also provided free legal assitance to media outlets and journalists.
 
The team of the Advocacy and Production Department realized 21 video projects in 2013. Most of them dealt with various aspects/problems in the lives of journalists, such as trade solidarity, ethical conflicts, public trust in journalists, access to information. The other products were IJC initiatives or services provided to third parties.
 
In the field of research, during the past year the IJC managed to produce two studies concerning press freedom in the Eastern Partnership, which assessed the local press as being partially free, although Moldova was in the top of the rating involving the six countries. Another IJC project, aimed at gathering news on mass media, instruments for media consumers, studies, monitoring analyses, and information on the IJC in a single place, became reality in the summer of 2013. The new “virtual identity” of the IJC is Media-azi.md – a portal equally intended for journalists and the public.
 
The IJC monitored the process of opening public government data in 2012. The monitoring results and other studies can be found on the IJC portal, www.media-azi.md, in the “Publications” section.
 
In May, the IJC celebrated, together with other NGOs, the already traditional Press Freedom Days.
 
In September, the IJC Caravan was launched, which was intended to strengthen collaboration with higher education institutions of the country.
 
At the end of the year, the IJC gathered media representatives from around the country at an event that has become a beautiful tradition – the annual gala of the Press Club, where the best journalists of 2013 received awards.
 
During the past year the IJC again published the Mass Media in Moldova magazine, which has been produced twice per year since 1995 and is the only analytical publication that covers the problems of mass media.
 
In 2013, the Chsianu School of Advanced Journalism (CSAJ) continued training the new generation of journalists, providing them with various technical abilities and a developed ethical conscience. Thus, in June 2013, the seventh class of graduates of the School added to the numbers of journalists in the country’s media outlets, such as televisions PRO TV and Publika TV, radio station Radio Chişinău, and newspapers Ziarul de Gardă, Ziarul Naţional and Evenimentul Zilei. Classes for new students began on 2 September 2013.
 
For more information about the activities of the IJC, please visit www.media-azi.md, www.scoaladejurnalism.md, and the IJC page and group on Facebook.