The journalists in the Republic of Moldova, especially representatives of the independent press, in the course of 2018 worked in conditions of insecurity. The intimidations and threats became more frequent amid the almost complete lack of efficient reactions on the part of the state authorities. The access to information worsened and this is most probably related to the electoral campaign. However, there is yet independent journalism in Moldovan, even if this is not considerable, said participants in the fourth Mass-Media Forum that started in Chisinau on November 29.
According to Viorica Zaharia, president of the Press Council of Moldova, a number of events were witnessed in the mass media sector this year, which rather undermined the freedom of the media than strengthened .The adoption of the national concept for the development of the mass media is welcome. This document will lay the basis for developing other policies in the field. But two bills that are vital for the national media, which were to introduce particular tax concessions and tax exemptions for periodicals, were negatively appraised by the Government and this is equal to their annulment.
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir said the situation in most of the countries is rather worrisome. Many journalists have to work in difficult conditions, with low salaries, and are intimidated and threatened, mainly when they write about corruption, organized crime or try to make the voices of others, of the opposition heard. Greater attention should be devoted to the provisions concerning commercial advertising, propaganda, fake news.
EU Ambassador to Moldova Peter Michalko noted he would like to see progress in the adoption of laws, such as those on advertising, access to information and fiscal incentives for the media. An efficient broadcasting regulator is needed to implement good practices in the media. The EU will continue to support the efforts to ensure independent pluralist media in the country.
UK Ambassador in Chisinau Lucy Rebecca Joyce enumerated the elements of functional democracy, such as a strong judicial system, preeminence of the law, powerful parliamentary opposition and active, free and powerful mass media. “I think a pluralist media message that offers the citizens a variety of opinions and perspectives is important for a young democracy, such as Moldova. There is not much trust, including in the mass media, in this period of misinformation. Trust should be created,” stated the ambassador, noting transparency in Moldova decreases and the fact that the mass media are mainly monopolized is not a coincidence, to her mind.
U.S. Ambassador Derek J. Hogan said the United States will continue to attentively monitor the cases of repression or intimidation of journalists, limitations in expression and will step up the media education efforts for the citizens to critically assess the flow of information. He encouraged the journalists to attentively and objectively cover the approaching election campaign so that each candidate or party enjoy appropriate coverage.
The two-day Mass-Media Forum 2018 brought together over 170 invitees, including journalists, mass media experts and diplomats. The challenges of journalism in Moldova and the solutions for a free press will be discussed at a number of thematic workshops that will involve experts from France, the UK, Romania, the U.S., Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, and Latvia. The event has been held since 2015.
