The Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) warned publicly six TV channels that covered the election campaign with deviations from the broadcasting legislation. These are Prime TV, Canal 3, Canal 2, Publika TV, Accent TV, and NTV Moldova. These and another three TV channels - Realitatea TV, TV7 and RTR Moldova – were warned to obey the principle of informing based on at least two sources in the case of the conflict situations involving electoral competitors, IPN reports.
In the October 17 meeting of the BCC, there was presented a report on the monitoring of 14 broadcasters between September 30 and October 9. The report shows Moldova 1, ProTV, N4 and Ren Moldova covered the activities of the election runners in the first part of the election campaign in a balanced and correct way. Prime TV, Canal 3, Canal 2 and Publika TV favored evidently Marian Lupu and disfavored Andrei Nastase. The news bulletins on Accent TV were over 50% devoted to Igor Dodon. NTV Moldova favored Igor Dodon and disfavored other runners.
The monitoring showed Jurnal TV favored pronouncedly Andrei Nastase. At the request of representatives of the channel, the report on Jurnal TV will be examined in a subsequent meeting.
BCC member Mariana Onceanu-Hadarca said the report shows the general perception of the population and confirms that the situation at Prime TV, Publika TV, Canal 3 and Canal 2 is serious. “Allotting by 16-18 minutes to Lupu in materials with a positive connotation is tendentious and against the rules. The same is true about Jurnal TV, which devotes more airtime to Andrei Nastase, and about Accent TV, where Igor Dodon is present for almost 50 minutes. Penalties are required in these cases,” she stated.
Member Dragos Vicol said the polarization of TV channels is a clear trend that becomes more accentuated. “These have a devoted public. The report shows the TV channels are afraid to lose the public and thus resort to such coverage. The channels pay tribute to those that finance them. This is bothersome,” he said.
The BCC members also said that the adoption of another Broadcasting Code or amendment of the existing one should enable to impose punishment in accordance with the gravity of the violations committed by broadcasters.
