Eight of the 12 portals monitored during November 8-14 were biased, devoting more media attention to independent candidate supported by the Party of Socialists Igor Dodon. They also presented this candidate in a favorable light. Another four portals had a relatively balanced behavior or with slight favoring of the Party of Action and Solidarity’s candidate Maia Sandu, shows the seventh report on the monitoring of the online media during the election period and campaign preceding the presidential elections that was produced by the Association of Independent Press (API) within the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections.
In a news conference at IPN, API expert Aneta Gonța said the portals Actualitati.md, Aif.md and Kp.md had a similar editorial behavior, with an evident and pronounced bias. The three publications openly favored and promoted Igor Dodon and clearly disfavored Maia Sandu. The campaign to discredit and attack her and to denigrate her by false information and discrimination continued.
Noi.md, Vedomosti.md and Sputnik.md favored Igor Dodon by the tone of the coverage and the presentation of the candidate in a positive light. Maia Sandu was disfavored by the three portals.
Gagauzinfo.md devoted not much attention to the last week of the election campaign prior to the presidential elections and laid emphasis primarily on Igor Dodon, favoring him in most of the cases when this appeared as a protagonist.
Unimedia.info treated primarily political themes, with emphasis on the campaign activities of Igor Dodon, who appeared often in contexts that favored him.
Agora.md and Newsmaker.md had a relatively balanced editorial policy that was generally unbiased and the candidates for President who competed in the runoffs were most of the times presented in a neutral context and also in positive and negative contexts, but without a clear tendency to favor or disfavor.
Realitatea.md covered the last week of the election campaign, presenting the campaign of both of the candidates. But Igor Dodon appeared most of the times in disfavoring contexts.
Timpul.md devoted the least attention to electoral subjects in the monitored period. Igor Dodon was presented more often in unfavorable contexts.
