Misinformation promoted by a Russian TV channel rebroadcast in Moldova: Moldovan police allowed shooting into people protesting against European integration

Russian public television Pervy kanal, which is rebroadcast in Moldova on almost the entire territory of the country, broadcast a report on Sunday evening about Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia signing Association Agreements with the EU, and the report violated several requirements of journalistic ethics.

The very beginning of the report presented unverified and incorrect information, according to which Moldovan authorities allegedly ordered the police to open fire on protesters in case of demonstrations against Moldova approaching the EU.

“According to news agencies, Moldovan authorities, in an attempt to learn from others’ mistakes, allowed policemen to open fire in case people who do not want into Europe protest in Chisinau” .

The report only spoke about the negative consequences of association agreements and was based on the opinions of three experts – two Russian and one Moldovan, the latter known as a supporter of a political party that openly spoke against the Association Agreement.

Thus, the report broadcast in Moldova violated several important provisions of the Code of professional ethics:
2.1 A journalist shall present information in an honest and balanced manner and only after making efforts to verify it.
2.2 A journalist shall ask the opinion of all parties relevant for the topic.
2.5 A journalist usually verifies information from two sources that are independent from each other. A journalist shall only publish information that he verified and believes to be true.
2.6 A journalist usually indicates the source of information and makes efforts to obtain information from citable sources.
2.7 A journalist shall clearly distinguish between facts and opinions and shall not present their own opinions as facts.

We shall remind that over the past several months in Chisinau there have been discussions about the information security of Moldova, which is allegedly in danger due to some Russian TV channels, the fact that has become more visible during the conflict with Ukraine.

Between 10 and 24 April, the Broadcasting Coordinating Council monitored five Russian televisions rebroadcast in Moldova – Prime TV, TV 7, RTR Moldova, Ren TV Moldova and Rossiya 24 – in order to verify whether they abide by the national broadcasting laws. The decision in question has been made in response to the appeal of Ana Gutu, MP representing the Liberal Reformatory Party, who asked for the Russian propaganda in the broadcasting media in Moldova to be stopped. Monitoring results are to be made public in the nearest future.

In parallel, between 18 and 24 April these channels were monitored by the Association of Independent Press (AIP). According to the report, the majority of the verified channels systematically made propaganda of the idea of separatism in the South-Easters regions of Ukraine, and the information broadcast during that period by all monitored Russian channels could manipulate public opinion. Some media outlets were used as propaganda instruments to inoculate the ideas of Kiev’s aggression against peaceful population, authorities’ unwillingness to settle the conflict peacefully, and the weakness on Ukrainian armed forces in contrast with the greatness and power of Russia as a country. The rebroadcasting of these channels in Moldova is a danger to its information security, said Petru Macovei, the executive director of the AIP, when presenting the report.
 
Source of photo: http://adevarul.ro/