Press in Moldova is partly free, media NGOs

The press in Moldova continues to be partially free. However, the situation has improved and Moldova went up several spots in international rankings compared with last year, executive director of the Independent Press Association (API) Petru Macovei told a news conference, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. In 2009, Moldova ranked 114th in the press freedom rankings, while in 2010 it climbed to the 75th spot. According to Petru Macovei, despite the reforms in the press sector started by the new administrations, the guarantees provided by the legislation to the journalists are seldom valid in public institutions and in the relations with public officials. The politicians often try to manipulate the press so that it, for its part, manipulates the public opinion. Nadine Gogu, director of the Independent Journalism Center, said in the same conference that the coming into force of the law on the freedom of expression improved the situation of the press in Moldova. The law transposes the case law of the European Court of Human Rights to the national legislation. Thus, no media outlet or journalist can be held accountable for articles considered defamatory, which were published more than a year ago, for assessments and criticism leveled at the authorities or the state. The Journalist’s Deontological Code took effect this April. It has seven chapters concerning self-regulation, legal methods of collecting information by journalists and other aspects, said Nadine Gogu. In another development, she said that though the Broadcasting Coordination Council sent signals of revival, its monitoring reports could not produce the projected results. This shows that the press in Moldova is not yet free. Nadine Gogu stated that until a media outlet depends financially on somebody or something, we cannot speak about independent press. Vasile Spinei, head of “Acces-info” Center, said there was a partially positive explosion among the television channels, but the print media lags behind. The press will not be free if the ordinary people do not demand that it be free, he stated. The recommendations formulated by the specialists are mainly intended for authorities. They are advised to react and punish the persons who are to blame for aggression, to improve the legation and enforce the law, to refrain from exerting influence and pressure on the Broadcasting Coordination Council and broadcasters, etc. On December 23, 1993, the UN General Assembly nominated May 3 as the Press Freedom Day. The idea appeared at the UNESCO General Conference, which, in a resolution of 1991 on the promotion of press freedom in the world, said a free, pluralistic and independent media is an essential component of a democratic society.