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According to Unimedia.md, in the partially renovated Parliament building, new working conditions were prepared for mass media representatives. Journalists’ access to the Parliament’s meeting hall will be restricted, and their contact with Members of Parliament will be taking place through intermediaries.
Accredited journalists will have access to a specially equipped press area, where several monitors will be installed for media professionals to follow the Parliament’s activity live. Video will be sent to a production control room, where audio and video will be processed and only then offered to television outlets.
Thus, after the presentation of new rules for mass media that took place at Parliament headquarters, Unimedia.md said that cameramen from television outlets will no longer be able to film the events during plenary meetings or in the Parliament’s halls. They will also have no control over the images/filming angles provided by the Parliament’s production department. MPs will be able to come to the press room during or after meetings to hold conferences or briefings, answer journalists’ questions or make some clarifications.
“You will have two monitors showing images from the meeting room. An editor will work in a separate room equipped with audio and video mixing facilities,” Unimedia quoted Iurie Burlacu, representative of the company that installed the communications system.
PURPOSE OF CHANGES: A MORE ORGANIZED ACTIVITY
In her turn, the head of the Communications and Public Relations Department of the Parliament, Svetlana Ursu, said for Media Azi on Tuesday, 31 December, that video images will not be censored and there will be maximum transparency. When asked about the interaction between MPs and journalists, Ursu specified that it will be organized by the Press Service employees. “You will have requests. We will go speak with MPs and then bring them to a specially prepared room,” Ursu said.
At the same time, she added that the regulations concerning journalists’ activity in the Parliament, which had been in force for some time, will not change. Ursu also said that a meeting with media representatives was to be organized in order to discuss technical details concerning the process of interaction between MPs and journalists. She mentioned that the new measures are intended for a better organization of journalistic activity in the Parliament: “No running in the halls, no cameras, only calm. We will sit down and see what the conditions are, because we know no details at the moment, either, as this room is still being worked on,” Ursu explained.
“MEASURES SEEM RATHER RESTRICTIVE, DISADVANTAGING”
In her turn, Olivia Pirtac, expert in media legislation, said for Media Azi on Tuesday that there are no international standards that oblige MPs to be in one room with journalists, and the former can impose certain limits to protect their activity. In this case, however, measures seem rather restrictive and disadvantaging for the public.
“Had there been cases with some grave problems, these measures could be justified. If the Parliament could argue that there had been numerous situations when journalists hindered the MPs’ activity and caused great damage to the activity in the Parliament, then they could justify these changes. But as long as they cannot bring such arguments, it means that it is only an attempt to change the rules of the game for their own benefit, and not for public interest,” Pirtac explained.
She added that the Parliament must give clear reasons behind these measures. “As long as there are no arguments based on facts, it is evident that they act in their own interest, to improve their image, so that there are no more journalists filming MPs sleeping during meetings,” Olivia Pirtac added.
CONTACT WITH MPs IS ESSENTIAL FOR JOURNALISTS
Petru Macovei, the executive director of the Association of Independent Press (AIP), also told Media Azi that the problem is not necessarily in the fact that journalists will no longer be present in the meeting room to film, since it happens in other countries of the EU as well. He believes, however, that “live” contacts with MPs must be “in no way” restricted.
“Journalists must be able to communicate with MPs before and after Parliament meetings, and also during breaks, without any mediation by the Press Service,” Macovei added. “If this is their intention, they should reject this uninspired idea that would prevent journalists from objectively reporting on the Parliament’s activity.”
The renovation of the Parliament building began in 2009, but it was suspended for lack of money up to 2011. The building might be opened for the meetings of the new Parliament session of spring-summer. At the same time, Moldova enters a new year of elections. Parliamentary elections are to take place in autumn 2014, and for this reason media experts are expecting various tactics aimed at restricting mass media access to information.
Petru Macovei has recently said for Radio Europa Liberă that “2014, being a year of elections, will probably bring us some bad surprises in this regard [in the area of mass media]. When comparing the situation this year with what we had before 2009, it is somewhat better, but still bad, because as Communists used to control almost all mass media before 2009, so other politicians are controlling them now. And the only difference might be the fact that we have more trusts now, more groups of interest that promote their owners’ interests.”
Source of photo: www.adevarul.ro
