Number of press articles on corruption dropped over 30% in November

The number of press articles about corruption dropped by more than 30% in November, compared with the previous month. The findings are in the monthly report drawn up by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) within the project “Assessing Media Coverage of Corruption”, Info-Prim Neo reports. The 8 monitored outlets have published a total of 65 articles tackling corruption. Most of them were written by Ziarul de Garda (17), followed by Timpul de dimineata (12), Moldova Suverana (11) and Jurnal de Chisinau (10). Fewer were published by Nezavisimaia Moldova (7), SP (4), Novoye vremya (3), Vesti Gagauzii (1). The most used form of tackling corruption is publicizing the charges regarding the involvement in corruption acts (44.6% of the total published in November). The anti-corruption programs constitute 26%, concrete cases of corruption and embezzlement of the public funds – 12,3%, in other articles corruption being touched in the context of other subjects. Traditionally, when informing about corruption, the journalists prefer to write news stories (65% of the articles published in November). Those 8 newspapers also published 10 editorials, 7 analysis articles, some of them having investigation traits, 5 interviews and one well-documented journalistic investigation. In November, those 8 monitored radio and tv stations aired a total of 174 relevant articles, most of them being aired by Radio Moldova (35) and Vocea Basarabiei (33). About half of the reports aired by the radio and tv stations referred to programs and strategies of fighting corruption, implemented or discussed by the governmental, non-governmental and international organizations. The corruption accusations were present in 33 articles, and concrete cases of corruption – in 27. The other referred to public funds mismanagement. The news constituted about 92% of the total number of articles. Facts were separated from opinions in most of the articles (88%). The project is a part of the Strengthening Civil Society Monitoring Capacity in Moldova (SCSMCM) program, implemented by the Academy for Educational Development, with the technical support of IREX. The program is financed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation and administered by USAID within the Country Threshold Plan for Moldova.