Investigative journalism is useless if legal system does not work, opinions

“The investigative journalism is useless if the legal system does not work,” Romanian journalist Cristina Munteanu, who has settled in the Czech Republic, said in a roundtable meeting themed “Exchange of Good Practices in Crossborder Investigative Journalism” in Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. Cristina Munteanu said it is more important for the journalists to write about the legal system than the investigations in general. Cornelia Cozonac, the head of the Chisinau-based Investigative Journalism Center, said the problems faced by the investigative journalists in Moldova are like those in Europe, including the limited access to information and financing of journalistic investigations as the journalists and editorial offices cannot always cover the costs of such investigations. Other problems include the poor qualifications of the managers, who do not realize the importance of real investigations so that the journalistic product is of a high quality and influences the society and democracy. According to Cornelia Cozonac, it is hard to conduct crossborder investigations as they involve a larger number of journalists. There are investigations that involve increased risks because the subjects in the crossborder area are related mainly to organized crime. The two-day roundtable meeting “Exchange of Good Practices in Crossborder Investigative Journalism” brought together journalists from eight countries, counting Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Serbia. The event forms part of the Partnership without Borders Project of Soros Foundation Moldova.