BCC washes hands with briefing

The Broadcasting Coordinating Council (BCC) expresses its concern about the distorted interpretation by certain TV and radio stations of the events having occurred in Chisinau, “accompanied by violence and vandalism.” The statement was read out Friday by BCC chairman Gheorghe Gorincioi, who refused to answer the journalists' questions, Info-Prim Neo reports. The BBC asks the Moldovan broadcasters to avoid, in their newscasts, reports and commentaries inciting to public violence, to manifestations attempting to Moldova's territorial integrity, to usurp the state power. The BCC has information according to which some cable operators voluntarily oust especially national channels from their offers, approved by the BCC, and this is a gross violation of the law. The BCC warns the broadcasters and the cable operators that, in case of derogation from the legal provisions, it will promptly punish those broadcasters. Gheorghe Gorincioi gave no names. The Romanian station Realitatea TV is not relayed by the largest cable operator in Moldova, Sun TV, without any explanation. The BCC also condemns the attempts of threatening journalists as jeopardizing the possibility to do their mission. Gheorghe Gorincioi has neither given any details. More reports come in lately about journalists being arrested and ill-treated by people in civilian clothing. A recent report compiled by the International Observation Mission for the April 5 elections, under the OSCE's aegis, reads about the BCC that during the election period, “it failed to duly respond to solve the problems related to media covering the electoral race.”