A number of Moldova’s leading media NGOs are calling on the new government to ensure real transparency of public affairs and unrestricted access to information of public interest for journalists and media outlets – “issues that were neglected by the former government despite repeated calls from NGOs and newsrooms.”
In a joint statement, the media NGOs also call for the removal of current practices, when persons holding public offices refuse to answer questions from journalists; ministries and agencies are reluctant to hold press conferences; requests for access to information are delayed or incomplete; and journalists do not have access to territorial meetings with mayors and other local elected officials and civil servants.
“Communication and transparency are essential elements of good governance, and the right to information and journalists’ right to obtain and disseminate public interest information are guaranteed by the Constitution and the legislation”, reads the statement.
Parliament and the Government are urged to implement real reforms, which would create conditions for the sustainable development of Moldovan journalism on democratic and European principles. We recall that some good draft laws, prepared with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe, have been gathering dust in the drawers of the parliamentary committees, but their adoption was blocked by the old government that protected interest groups and media owners, including from among politicians. This approach has encouraged the massive use of media platforms for the purpose of political promotion and distribution of false information, and has led to the distortion of the media market by stimulating unfair competition and the abuse of dominant positions.
The statement is endorsed by the Association of Independent Press, the Center for Investigative Journalism, the Press Freedom Committee, Access-Info Center, the Electronic Press Association, the Independent Journalism Center, RISE Moldova, the Association of Environmental and Ecological Tourism Journalists, and the Media-Guard Association.
