Media NGOs, journalists from the free press expressed their bewilderment at the statements made by Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu in a press briefing in the Parliament Building on May 3, when it was celebrated World Press Freedom Day. When he was asked by a reporter why he didn’t come out to discuss with participants in the Solidarity March, Andrian Candu answered harshly: “They do nothing but write projects, obtain foreign funds and have to utilize this money. They made a habit of mounting protests on this day. Besides staging protests, they should come and help do something”. In a statement, media organizations say these assertions leave the impression that the Speaker was bothered by the fact that the journalists in the Republic of Moldova decided to celebrate World Press Freedom Day by protests mounted in front of the Parliament Building, IPN reports.
The signatories say the media organizations all over the world celebrate this day through different events to sensitize the public opinion and the government and formulate recommendations for the authorities. In this regard, the Solidarity March staged by the Independent Journalism Center of Moldova, together with other media organizations, wasn’t an exception and represented the continuation of a tradition aimed at promoting the real values of the free press. The dialogue with the authorities, at least once a year, on the Press Day, is a normal and absolutely necessary practice not only for journalists, but also for the rulers. Regrettably, this time an open dialogue wasn’t held and they had to communicate through mail.
As regards the Speaker’s suggestion to help do something, the NGOs remind that in time they proposed a number of initiatives. The law on access to information passed in 2000 was drafted by civil society, as were the law on the freedom of expression, the law on the denationalization of public periodicals and others. Some of these initiatives were adopted by Parliament, while others, such as the bill to amend the law on access to information, still wait to be examined. Also, representatives of media organizations form part of the working group for improving the legislation on the mass media that was set up by Parliament and take an active part in the meetings of this group and of the subgroups, contributing to drafting laws and amendments.
“As to Candu’s reproach that some of the participants in the protest “do nothing but write projects”, this is fully unjustified. In the current conditions, when there is no fair competition on the media market and we continue to witness the concentration of media ownership, with the monopolization of the advertising market, these projects are of vital importance for the mass media. In the absence of foreign donors, the Republic of Moldova would have only party press or press fully controlled by politicians,” reads the statement.
The signatories of the statement are: Independent Journalism Center; Association of Independent Press; Electronic Press Association; Journalistic Investigations Center; Committee for the Freedom of the Press; Association of Independent Tele-Journalists, and “Acces-Info” Center.
