Public broadcaster is in danger owing to political censorship and control, statement

“The National Public Broadcaster “Teleradio-Moldova” continues to daily produce news and programs that are censored so as they meet the political preferences of the administration,” says a group of Moldovan nongovernmental organizations. They call on the authorities to publicly abandon the current practices of interference and control in mass media, which conflict with the national and European legislation, Info-Prim Neo reports. “Aware of the continuous decline witnessed by the freedom of expression and the press, following with worry the more virulent actions aimed at using the most important electronic and print media, public and private, for xenophobic and antidemocratic propaganda and realizing the lack of real and general progress in transforming “Teleradio-Moldova” into an independent, professional and viable institution that would serve the interests of the society, we express our concern about the role played by the public broadcaster in this period of political crisis experienced by Moldova, as it serves the interests of the ruling party only,” the NGOs say in a joint statement issued on Monday. The signatories say that national and foreign experts pointed to the censorship existing at the public broadcaster in numerous reports. “The public stations do not correctly and impartially inform the people, do not take into account the political convictions of different groups of people and do not ensure political-social balance and pluralism and freedom of expression, as provided in the Broadcasting Code,” the statement reads. The NGOs say that during the last few years, the Broadcasting Coordination Council, without justifiable and transparently motivated decisions, distributed frequencies to certain broadcasters (NIT, EuTV, Radio Antena C) by public contests and rejected the applications of other broadcasters (Radio “Vocea Basarabiei”, ProTV). They consider that the Supervisory Board of National Public Broadcaster “Teleradio-Moldova” became the company’s lawyer. The signatories call on the Broadcasting Coordination Council to supervise the activity of the public and private broadcasters with more rigorousness and professionalism, in accordance with the law and to make sure that they observe the Broadcasting Code. “The time has come for the Supervisory Board of National Public Broadcaster “Teleradio-Moldova” to assume responsibility for the situation in its area of competence, including for the tendentious and biased editorial policy favoring the ruling party,” says the statement signed by the Association of Electronic Press of Moldova, the Independent Journalism Center, the Independent Press Association, IDIS “Viitorul”, the Investigative Journalism Center, “Acces-info” Center, the League for the Defense of Human Rights of Moldova, the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Coalition 2009”, the Journalists’ Union of Moldova, Promo-LEX Association and Business Consulting Institute.