The constitution of a media nongovernmental organization that would promote the freedom of expression and would protect journalists’ rights is considered a priority by the authors of the first study of the needs of the Transnistrian mass media. The study was presented in Chisinau on June 6, IPN reports.

The authors recommend offering support to the independent press of the region on a permanent basis, strengthening the role of civil society and providing assistance to the organizations involved in the promotion of democracy, human rights and the freedom of expression. They also say that the Internet, as a relatively free environment, should be an area of focalization for developing the alternative, independent and professional media.

Nadine Gogu, executive director of the Independent Journalism Center, said such a study was necessary as the international organizations started to show increased interests in the Transnistrian media. “In order to understand how to act, we had to ask the mass media of the region what they need,” she stated during the presentation of the study.

The study was carried out within the program “Support to Confidence Building Measures” that is co-financed by UNDP Moldova. UNDP project coordinator Olga Vasiliev said that a new round of grants will be soon announced and he urged the people to apply.

One of the study authors Natalia Scurtul, media expert and journalist in Tiraspol, said the media in the Transnistrian region is mostly controlled by the local administration. The independent media survives only owing to the support provided by international organizations. The study revealed that the journalists of the region perceive the professional standards in a different way. Some consider that the mass media is a propaganda source, while others believe that the journalists must inform impartially and equidistantly.

The study was made by the Independent Journalism Center within a program financed by the EU and co-financed and implemented by UNDP.