Public authorities and nongovernmental associations claim that Moldovan press has progressed over the last years from controlled press in 2009 to partially free press today. The hearing took place during the Parliament meeting on June 29, Info-Prim Neo reports. Corina Cepoi, expert of the Independent Journalism Center and the School of Advanced Studies in Journalism, says that mass media diversity has improved since 2009. Besides, some good laws like the Law on freedom of expression in 2010 have been approved. “Infringements on journalists’ rights are rarer, except those related to access to public events”, said Corina Cepoi. The expert stressed that it was still unknown who are the people behind TV channels, and that a clear difference had to be defined between owner and founder. Executive director of the Association of Independent Press (API) Petru Macovei said that the government didn’t care about the freedom of press until 2009 and the press was forced to write whatever the party commanded. As for the current situation, Petru Macovei thinks that an issue that needs to be clarified is that of MPs who own shares in mass media companies. He also spoke about the need to protect local media producers, threatened by the market expansion of Romanian and Russian press and by cartel agreements. Chairman of the Broadcasting Coordinative Council Marian Pocaznoi informed that Moldova ranked 115th of 197 countries in freedom of press. He also explained the withdrawal of the NIT channel’s license, which according to him violated all possible norms. “No other broadcaster violated national and international legislation and democratic principles to such extent. It infringed people’s rights by distorting information, by montage”, said the BCC head. According to Pocaznoi, the BCC warned NIT, but the channel’s board ignored the warnings, which led to the withdrawal of their license. PCRM requested parliamentary hearings involving public authorities and Law enforcement bodies about the situation of the press in Moldova.