Media nongovernmental organizations express their concern and condemn the threatening and harassment of a crew of the Nisporeni-based channel Albasat TV, in particular journalist Eugenia Sârbu, by the administration of Apă-Canal Nisporeni company, IPN reports.
The NGOs said, with reference to the journalist’s statements, that after her report about the rise in water and sewerage charges in Nisporeni town was broadcast on January 24, she was phoned by the company’s director Ion Gangan, who said that he was dissatisfied with the way in which the article was edited. The reporter related that Ion Gangan phoned her mother-in-law and told her about his disaffection. The team of Albasat TV noted that on January 27, the company’s jurist Ion Arseni presented himself at the office of the TV channel and threatened the crew with a lawsuit.
According to the media NGOs, the company’s administration requested the Audiovisual Council to oblige the media outlet to apologize publicly and to deny the erroneous and defamatory information about the services operator.
“The Press Law offers the journalists the right to obtain and broadcast information, while article 4 of the Law on the Freedom of Expression says the task of the mass media is to inform about problems of public interest and to conduct, in accordance with one’s duties, journalistic investigations centering on problems of public interest,” said the NGOs.
They call on all the managers of institutions and their employees to adopt an appropriate behavior in relation to journalists who do their job and serve the public interests. If someone does not agree with the working methods of the journalists or their work, they can go to the Press Council that will examine the complaint and will assess the journalists’ professional behavior and/or the quality of their work.
The signatory organizations are: Independent Journalism Center, Association of Independent Press, Electronic Press Association, Journalistic Investigations Center, Committee for the Freedom of the Press, Association of Independent Tele-Journalists, “Acces-Info” Center and RISE Moldova.
IPN called Apă-Canal Nisporeni for a comment. An operator of the company said there was no one of the administration there when the call was made (4:45pm).
