2010 saw a 'boom' in online media, Independent Journalism Center report

The speed at which the information is spread over the Internet exeeds the capacity of the broadcast and print media to swiftly cover the events. In Moldova, there are no legal preconditions that would regulate the Internet and the content on the Internet. That's why this type of media is in a more advantageous position than other media outlets, says a report by the Independent Journalism Center, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. According to the report, 2010 saw a 'boom' in the online media. For the traditional media to survive competition, it should invest effort and resources in the online versions of their products. On the other hand, swiftness does not always mean correctness and exactness. At the same time, swiftness represents a real challlenge for the investigative journalism, which is almost inexistent in the Moldovan media. Thus, the media organizations should encourage discussions that would generate ideas and solutions to the new challenges in Moldova's media sector. The report also contains forecasts for 2011. Editor of the online news portal www.azi.md Carolina Budesco said that some of the 'older' media outlets this year will be unable to cope with the competition and may disappear. Also, the TV and radio stations and the online portals will strengthen their positions. Transnistrian journalist Elena Kalinichenko said the independent media of Transnistria will more carefully select the covered subjects and the language used, but this will deprive them of individuality and originality. "Presidential elections will take place in Transnistria in 2011 and the special services will follow the journalists' work very attentively. All the heated discussions will be transferred to the Internet, the social forums and the multimedia resources," she said. Alina Radu, director of the newspaper Ziarul de Garda, said 2011 started with the closure of two media outlets - Omega and Evenimentul Zilei, while the TV channel Prime closed a number of media projects. "This shows that the media outlets greatly depend on parties and political money," she stated. This is the sixth yearly report on the situation of the media in Moldova prepared by the Independent Journalism Center. The report for 2010 contains five chapeters that center on the broadcast media, print media and online media. For the first time, it includes an analysis of the situation of the media in the Transnistrian region. The report is produced with financial support from the Swedish organization "Civil Rights Defenders”.