BCC imposes maximum fine on NIT

The private TV channel NIT (New Televised Ideas) was again penalized for lack of plurality of pinions and impartiality in its news programs. After three days of monitoring, the Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) Wednesday decided to punish the channel the fifth time by imposing the highest fine possible – 5,400 lei, Info-Prim Neo reports. In the November 5 meeting, the Council gave the channel three days to modify its editorial policy on the news bulletins. The head of the Monitoring Division Dinu Ciocanu said the NIT did not take into account the Council’s request and continued to directly favor the Communists Party. NIT shareholder Serghei Drobot said the channel was monitored in a non-professional way, while the presented figures are false. “You cannot take a decision on the basis of a report compiled incorrectly,” he said, addressing to the members of the BCC. The Council’s chairman Gheorghe Gorincioi replied that the report was produced by the Monitoring Division in concert with experts of the Council of Europe and a number of nongovernmental organizations that are monitoring the work of the mass media. BCC member Marian Pocaznoi said the NIT resorted to brainwashing and misinformation. In the same meeting, the representative of the Moldovan Noastra Alliance Dumitru Gura filed an application with the BCC, asking closing NIT for the period of the election campaign. “This channel misinforms the people and tells only lies. We can no more tolerate such a situation,” he said. In a new meeting next week, the Council will analyze the monitoring reports on other TV channels.