Reforms in the media field are delayed

Of all the commitments in the field of mass media made by the government, less than 30% have been realized, according to the authors of the study “Reforms in the Field of Mass Media in the period of 2009–2013: between promises and facts” („Reformele în domeniul mass-media în perioada 2009-2013: între promisiuni şi fapte”), launched on 7 May.

The study aimed to analyze the commitments made by the current government in the field of mass media through the prism of achievements obtained in the period of 2009–2014.

Nadine Gogu, director of the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) and one of the study authors, spoke about several of the Government’s commitments (journalists’ access to information, media ownership transparency, creation of proper working conditions for the media), whose realization is being delayed. Regarding journalists’ access to information, Nadine Gogu mentioned that investigative journalists suffered the most, as they receive superficial responses or even refuses to their requests from officials, who often refer to laws on the state secret or commercial secret.

Another obstacle in conducting journalistic investigations is the fees that information seekers must pay to obtain information of public interest. In this sense, experts recommend annulling these fees and adjusting the legal framework to international standards. The IJC director finds the implementation of the law on the freedom of expression quite troublesome. Not all judges apply this law, and media experts recommended the Supreme Council of Magistracy to apply disciplinary penalties to the judges that ignore the law.

When speaking about the need to ensure media ownership transparency and about the monopolization of media outlets, the expert expressed her regret about the fact that MPs delayed the examination of the draft law on media transparency. “The Parliament must urgently adopt this law. The monopolization and concentration of the media are limiting the pluralism of opinions,” Nadine Gogu underlined.

The expert also spoke about the non-functionality of the law on mass media, pleading for its annulment on the grounds of it being outdated. She also recommended giving more powers to the broadcasting regulator, thus contributing to a more efficient implementation of the current legislation in the field.

In his turn, Ion Bunduchi, expert of the Electronic Press Association (APEL), spoke about broadcasting. In his opinion, the government managed very well to outline the urgent problems of mass media, but it still remains behind in solving them. Ion Bunduchi touched upon the need to ensure the transparency of the Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC) issuing and withdrawing broadcasting licenses. He pleaded for adopting a new Broadcasting Code, which would be more appropriate for the current requirements in the field of broadcasting.

Petru Macovei, the executive director of the Association of Independent Press (AIP) and co-author of the publication, spoke about the troublesome implementation of the law on denationalization of periodicals. “Although the deadline for implementation of the law was February 2013, in fact there still are newspapers financed by public authorities,” Macovei added. The media expert also mentioned the need to improve conditions for the media, including the government’s commitment to exempt newspapers, magazines and online media from the value added tax (VAT).

Petru Macovei reiterated the need to adopt a new law on advertising, but he was skeptical that it would happen any time soon. “Out of all the commitments related to mass media that were made by the government, less than 30% have been fulfilled. This situation cannot be tolerated. The civil society must adopt a new strategy to implement the objectives in the field of mass media,” the expert concluded.

Members of Parliament and of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture, Education, Science, Youth, Sport and Mass Media (Chiril Lucinschi, Valeriu Saharneanu, Corina Fusu, Alexandr Petkov) that were present at the presentation of the study appreciated the experts’ criticism of the government’s actions in the field of mass media and pronounced themselves in favor of speeding up reforms in the field.

The study “Reforms in the Field of Mass Media in the period of 2009–2013: between promises and facts” has been produced by the Association of Independent Press (AIP) in partnership with the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) and the Electronic Press Association (APEL), with the financial support of the Mass Media Program of the Soros Foundation-Moldova.