The Independent Journalism Center recommends the media institutions to inform the voters, correctly, impartially and evenhandedly and to ensure the pluralism and diversity of opinions by including more perspectives on the treated issues in news items. The recommendations were formulated on the occasion of the presentation of the third report on the monitoring of ten TV channels during October 24 - November 4.

The ten TV channels are: Moldova 1, TVR Moldova, Jurnal TV, Pro TV, TV 8, Cinema 1, ITV, Orizont TV, Vocea Basarabiei, and Exclusiv TV.

In a news conference hosted by IPN, Independent Journalism Center executive director Nadine Gogu said that Moldova 1 ensured access to news items for 16 election contenders. MAN candidate Ion Ceban benefitted from the broadest coverage. However, the representatives of the central administration on the public TV channel were mainly presented in a positive light. On TVR Moldova, the central public authorities were also presented in a positive light in news items. The representatives of the PAS were slightly favored through the transfer of positive image. Jurnal TV also presented the central administration in positive news items that favored the PAS representatives in the electoral competition. Ion Ceban was equally presented in neutral news items and in negative news articles.

Pro TV Chisinau covered the campaign activities of most of the candidates in an impartial way, but most of the news items provided one perspective on the treated subject and the pluralism of opinions was absent. The central authorities were presented in a positive context and the PAS representatives were favored. TV 8 offered access to news items to 22 contenders whose campaigns were covered neutrally. Most of the conflict news items were balanced. On Cinema 1, the representatives of the central authorities appeared in a relatively high number of positive news items that could favor the PAS candidates by transfer of positive image.

According to the report, Orizont TV favored the contenders of the Chance Party and disfavored the MAN candidate. ITV Moldova also favored the Chance Party’s candidates and disfavored the MAN candidate by the large number of new articles in which the latter was presented in a negative light.

Vocea Basarabiei TV offered limited access to news items to all the election contenders, covering the campaign primarily from the perspective of the election process. The central authorities were covered both in a negative context and in a positive context. Exclusiv TV had a larger number of news items that presented the central authorities mainly in a positive light.

The monitoring was conducted within the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections.

Grigore Stegărescu, secretary of the Coalition and ADEPT projects coordinator, said that before the runoff vote, the voters should inform themselves from different sources and should not fall prey to disinformation. “The mass media should be attentive to what they broadcast as a large part of the content they produce is taken and disseminated through social media, but in a distorted form. This leads to the misinformation of citizens. That’s why I call on you to ensure pluralism of opinions and authentic information, while the citizens should think critically before going to the polls,” noted Grigore Stegărescu.

Note: IPN News Agency offers the right of reply to persons who consider they were touched by the news items produced based on statements made by the organizers of the given news conference, including by facilitating the organization of another news conference in similar conditions.