On World Press Freedom Day that is annually marked on May 3, the President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu thanked the journalists and media outlets that watch over this common right and help the people to inform themselves from objective sources, IPN reports, quoting the presidential press service.

“The free press is a fundamental value of a society that wants to be just and open, built on principles of democracy and legality. This is the society we all wanted and I’m glad that in our country, despite all the impediments, there are many media outlets abiding by these values. Owing to them, pressure is being exerted on the authorities and destinies are changed. This means being indeed the Fourth Power,” says President Maia Sandu’s message.

She noted that the role of the mass media is to inform objectively and correctly about things that happen around and that are important for the people – either we speak about public institutions or private initiatives, health, culture, justice or political life. “Based on this information, the people take important decisions for them. Today, in times of a pandemic, objective and correct informing becomes even more important as it is equal to health and saved lives. That’s why being journalist means also a lot of responsibility. In a world dominated by fakes, propaganda and disinformation, the capacity to discern and not to cause damage to your public becomes one of the main qualities of the press,” noted Maia Sandu.

She also said that the ensuring of the freedom of media outlets, guaranteeing of equitable conditions for their functioning and ensuring of institutional transparency and access to information, protecting and strengthening the rights of journalists so that these are not afraid of being persecuted for the written word remain authorities’ duties. “This is the real freedom of the press that is beneficial to everyone,” runs the message.