The Press Council established that the newspapers “Argumenti i Fakti” and “Puls” presented the case of the Chisinau child who was withdrawn from the guardian’s family in an unbalanced way, violating thus the Journalist’s Deontological Code. In order to ensure the equidistant reporting of the case, the Council recommended the papers to publish also the position of the authorities that decided to withdraw the child, IPN reports.

The Press Council members said the only source of the articles published in the two newspapers, signed by one author, is the child’s guardian, while the journalist focused on the emotional state and opinions of the guardian. The article contains speculations, while the readers are induced to believe that the minor was removed from the family of the guardian in order to be put up for international adoption.

The newspaper didn’t present the position of the guardianship authorities. After the publication of the articles in the two papers, officials of the Chisinau Child Rights Protection Division in a news conference said that the 8-year-old boy was withdrawn from the guardian’s family after it was determined that his rights were violated by the guardian. In 2011, the minor was left in the care of a neighbor, who afterward became his guardian. After the child rights protection authority was informed about the woman’s abusive behavior towards the child, the boy was removed from guardianship on January 15.

The Press Council reiterates that the journalists must present the issues they address in a balanced and equidistant way, with the opinions of the sides involved.

The Press Council recommended the two papers to return to this subject and to publish the opinion of the Chisinau Child Rights Protection Division and, eventually, of the children’s ombudsperson, to ensure editorial balance and edit the articles published on their websites, and to follow the fate of this child who remained without parental care.