A number of media outlets in Moldova continue to favor particular political parties and resort to manipulation techniques, such as labeling, generalization, dissemination of false, incomplete and tendentious information. The news articles are written with deviations from the deontological norms, while the content is edited with a mixture of facts and opinions and omissions, shows the monitoring report “Elements of propaganda, information manipulation and violation of journalistic deontological norms in the national media landscape” that was produced by the Independent Journalism Center (CJI).
A number of 12 media outlets were monitored in January – March this year, namely: the TV channels – Publika, Prime, Canal 2, Canal 3, Jurnal, Accent, RTR, NTV and Moldova 1 and the portals – noi.md, sputnik.md and deschide.md.
In a news conference at IPN on March 29, report author Victor Gotisan said Accent TV covered impartially the event to invest the new ministers on January 10, through the angle of the comments and statements made by President Igor Dodon, presenting it in a bad light. Jurnal TV promoted the idea that these Cabinet reshuffles were a whim of the Democratic leader Vlad Plahotniuc. Moldova 1 covered the subject in the same way as Prime TV Canal 2, Canal 3 and Publika TV. The portal deschide.md mingled facts and opinions.
The news about the adoption of the “anti-propaganda” law on Accent TV and NTV revealed only the shortcomings of the bill. Prime TV, Publika, Canal 2 and Canal 3 presented the subject from a positive perspective, while for Jurnal TV this was a reason for accusing the Democratic Party. sputnik.md also mingled facts and opinions.
The resignation tendered by Dorin Chirtoaca from the post of mayor of Chisinau was used by sputnik.md as a pretext for presenting the Liberal Party in a negative light. deschide.md covered the subject through the angle of the private life of the ex-mayor. Prime TV, Canal 2, Canal 3 and Publika, Accent TV and NTV focused on the criminal cases started against Dorin Chirtoaca rather than on his resignation.
The tapping of the telephone conversion between businessman Veaceslav Platon and Alexandru Tanase, when this was president of the Constitutional Court, which made the latter resign from the post of minister of justice, was used by Jurnal TV to level criticism at the Democratic Party and Vladimir Plahotniuc. Prime TV, Canal 2, Canal 3 and Publika TV focused only on the resignation of Alexandru Tanase, omitting the main subject.
“As some have political preferences, they resort to bias. We have witnessed such bias periodically during the last few years. Sometimes it is more evident, while on other occasions it is less evident, but, given that this year is an electoral one, we anticipate that this tendency will be more flagrant in the periods that will be covered by the next reports,” stated Nadine Gogu, executive director of the Independent Journalism Center.
The Center recommends the Broadcasting Coordination Council to analyze the situation and monitor the TV channels that broadcast manipulating information so as to identify the irregularities and impose penalties. The media consumers are recommended to inform themselves from a number of media sources so as to avoid the risk of receiving erroneous and manipulating information.
