BCC places restrictions on broadcasters

The national broadcasters were banned from airing news bulletins and programs centering on electoral subjects and involving election runners on Saturday and Sunday so as not to manipulate the public opinion. The Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) approved relevant regulations in its November 26 meeting, Info-Prim Neo reports. The radio stations and TV channels are also not allowed to broadcast subjects concerning the election contenders. The same restrictions apply to the broadcasters that retransmit programs of media organizations from Romania, Russia and other countries. The BCC members argued the decision is aimed at avoiding the manipulation of the consumers of information and was taken following concerns expressed by international organizations and national observers. The Council also decided to monitor the channels Jurnal TV and Publika TV, besides the channels with national coverage. It said that after monitoring these channels, it will present its conclusion about the TV channel NIT, which was repeatedly warned for violating the principles of impartiality and plurality of opinions.