The freedom of the press is very important. In an electoral year, it is fundamental for all the voices to be heard. In Moldova, there are a series of issues that should be devoted attention when speaking about the media market. These include the propaganda, concentration of media ownership and of the media market and reduced economic possibilities of the mass media. The subjects were discussed in the first Media Policy Forum held in Chisinau on March 13 under the title “Challenges, Prospects and Road to the Freedom of the Press in Moldova”, IPN reports.
U.S. Ambassador James Pettit said the mass media and the media market in Moldova are concentrated in the hands of several persons and this situation deprives the people of access to varied information. It also conserves the internal propaganda and deprives the independent media outlets of financial resources for survival. Alongside other countries from the West, Moldova faces foreign propaganda. But the powerful democracies always find ways to protect themselves, ensuring the freedom of the press, not limiting it. “The new Broadcasting Code is welcome. I think Parliament will send it to the partners for appraisal as soon as possible, will implement the recommendations and will adopt it during the current session,” stated the diplomat.
Mark Behrendt, Director for Europe and Eurasia programs at Freedom House, said the mass media in Moldova is partially free. The Government should become involved together with nongovernmental players and work out policies in the field.
According to the Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Peter Michalko, there are a number of issues that need to be addressed, such as the concentration of media ownership and of the media market. It is important that the national legislation should support the work of journalists, including investigative reporters. “These should not face obstacles to accessing public databases, including financial obstacles. There should be even greater independence as regards the regulatory framework, the Broadcasting Code and the role of the Broadcasting Coordination Council. We hope we will see more progress in these fields the next years,” stated the official.
Attending the Forum, Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu said some measures were already taken to fight propaganda and misinformation, in favor of the promotion of the national media products. The press is a business and a business that cannot be supported cannot be developed. “In the Republic of Moldova, regrettably, the media market at present totals €9-10 million a year. One cannot develop television channels with this money. I hope a lot that the legislation that will encourage investors to come to the media sector will be ready very soon so that we have investments in this sector in the Republic of Moldova,” noted the Speaker.
Nadine Gogu, executive director of the Independent Journalism Center, said the policies in the mass media sector continue to be problematic in Moldova. She spoke about the policies that should fight domestic propaganda that goes beyond any limit in Moldova. ”Regrettably, I didn’t see many steps even if civil society tried to do something. We do not yet have policies aimed at fighting propaganda, manipulation and manipulation,” stated Nadine Gogu.
The first Media Policy Forum in Chisinau was organized by Internews, Freedom House, Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
