The appearance of a large number of broadcasters on the media market of Moldova is not necessarily based on objective criteria and causes. A part of the broadcasters were probably founded for political purposes or to manipulate the public opinion, the executive director of the Association of Independent Press (API) Petru Macovei said in an interview for IPN.
According to the API director, the main problem is the lack of transparency as regards ownership and a side effect of this lack of transparency is the excessive concentration. These phenomena determine the media NGOs’s behavior. We are put in the situation when we must exert pressure on the Government and Parliament so that they modify the legalities and ensure transparency and limit concentration on the broadcasting segment.
Petru Macovei said the media NGOs carry out an intense advocacy activity in order to convince decisions makers that reforms are imperatively needed to ensure transparency and limit concentration so that the mass media develops in Moldova. The media NGOs also provide assistance in drafting bills that are examined by experts in the country and abroad and are then debated publicly.
“We also work with journalists who, volens-nolens, have to obey the editorial policies of the media organizations, which are sometimes aimed at manipulating the public opinion. It is thus very important for the journalist to oppose manipulation and promote media products of a high quality,” stated Petru Macovei.
He also said that the media NGOs represent a source of expert advice for the European organization working in Moldova, including as regards the ensuring of the freedom of the media. In some of the cases, when Moldova is asked to present reports on certain aspects concerning democratic development, an important part of this information refers to the mass media and then the representatives of media organizations present alternative information.
The number of NGOs working in the mass media sector remains constant. Some of them reduced their activities so that there are 5-6 organizations active in this sector.
