Less radio and TV stations are unbiased during the election campaign - Coalition 2007

The present election campaign is unbiasedly covered only by the TV stations PRO-TV and TV-7, as well as by the radio station “Vocea Basarabiei”, while the public stations “Moldova-1” and Radio Moldova, the private TV station NIT with national coverage continue the trend asserted in the electoral campaign for the governor of Gagauzia, indirectly favouring the government party and ignoring the opposition parties. The list of biased stations includes the former municipal radio station “Antena C”, recently reorganised via privatisation. At the same time, “Euro-TV” shows to some extent propensity to pluralism. These data are included in the first report of the Civic Coalition for free and correct local elections 2007 “Monitoring media in the electoral campaign for local general elections”, launched on Wednesday, May 2, in Chisinau. According to the chairman of the Independent Press Association (IPA), Petru Macovei, the monitoring of 6 TV stations, 4 radio stations and 15 newspapers organised during April 10-24 found two tendencies during the electoral campaign – pro government party by ignoring the opposition, as in the case of “Moldova-1”, Radio Moldova, NIT, “Antena C”, “Moldova Suverana”, “Nezavisimaia Moldova”, local newspapers “Golos Balti”, “Farul Nistrean”, Causenii”. Another tendency is asserted in the case of the stations which try to present the events correctly but shaded, such as PRO-TV-7. “Vocea Basarabiei” was also included in the second group, but it has a more critic message against the Party of Communists, although presents objectively the events referring to this party. At the same time, the newspapers “Jurnal de Chisinau”, “Timpul de dimineata”, local newspapers “SP”, “Unghiul”, “Observatorul de Nord” are mainly publishing critical articles about the government party, but also criticising the opposition. These newspapers do not favour any party. Between these two groups there are situated the newspapers “Saptamana” and “Flux”, which publish both critical and favouring articles about the government, but obviously favouring the People’s Christian Democrat Party, in the case of “Flux” and “Moldova Noastra” Alliance –“Saptamana”. “Moldovaskie vedomosti” are favouring the People’s Republican Party. According to Macovei, the level of pluralism and equidistance of the monitored stations can be judged via the sources of their information. The first group gets the information from official sources, while the second one – also from the sources of the opposition parties. According to the report, the newspapers “Nezavisimaia Moldova”, “Moldavskie vedomosti”, “Jurnal de Chisinau”, “Moldova Suverana” and “Flux” are providing the most of the electoral space. “Flux” is presenting more and more positive articles about the candidate of the People’s Christian Democrat Party. At the same time “Flux” is disfavouring many political parties. “Komsomoliskaia Pravda” is included in the pro-communist list of newspapers. This newspaper has more praising articles about the government party, and “Russkoe radio” airs more favourable news than unfavourable about this party. The civic coalition for free and fair elections 2007 continues to observe the media institutions. Special attention will be paid to the election campaign, which is to start on May 4.