Lawyers advise journalists to resort to court to make authorities respectful of access to information right

Lawsuits are the best solution to educate the authorities to the need of respecting the right of access to information of public concern, lawyer Victor Pantaru sated at today’s meeting of the Investigative Journalists Club. Victor Pantaru believes that one of the most worrisome problems people face when trying to access information of public concern is the charges asked by some institutions, like the Cadastre Office or the Licensing Chamber, for delivering answers to inquiries. Janet Hanganu, a lawyer familiar with the activity of the European Court of Human Rights, reminds that the national legislation entitles every citizen to the right of requesting information from governmental authorities and that its price cannot exceed the cost of issuing the paper. In addition, the journalists attending the meeting reminded that the deadline for giving an answer to any inquiry whatsoever is 15 days and that an obvious discordance between the question asked and the answer given is a reason for legal action. Lawyer Alexandru Tanase pointed out that keeping the identity of the source private is one of the reporter’s rights; even if he is summoned to testify in court, a reporter has the right to give alternative information without disclosing the source. At the same time, the lawyer mentioned that the notion of source has been discredited by the frequent use of words like “reliable sources” or “sources close to…” and advised the journalists to use this tags only when real persons stand behind them. Held in advance of the International Right to Know Day, the meeting of the Investigative Journalists Club focused on sources of information for reporters and access to information of public concern.

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