The Press Council calls upon the media outlets to respect the right to reply of persons accused in public, regardless of the status of those who make accusations. The call was made following a complaint filed by judge Lilia Vasilievici against Jurnal Trust Media for disseminating the corruption-related accusations made by the prosecutor of Chisinau municipality Ion Diacov, IPN reports.
The judge’s application to the Pores Council was rejected for the reason that she already resorted to the legal procedures for examining this dispute, filing earlier a complaint based on the Law on the Freedom of Expression. In accordance with its regulations, the Press Council examines complaints outside the courts of law. But the members of the Council pronounced on the actions of the media outlets that broadcast the statements of prosecutor Ion Diacov and didn’t guarantee the judge’s right to reply, violating thus one of the main principles of journalistic deontology.
“We warn the media outlets that this is a dangerous practice, including for the media, because the publication of accusations without offering the right to reply can lead to legal proceedings. A ‘loud’ statement made by a public figure is not a sentence, while the interests of the persons who make accusations in public can be different. That’s why the journalists must be very attentive,” stated the Press Council head Ludmila Andronic.
She added that professional deontology obliges the media outlets to ensure the right to reply of the accused persons, regardless of the status of those who make accusations, either prosecutors, MPs or ministers, and only an irrevocable court decision can justify the assertions about the violation of the law.
