The electoral events are covered mainly through the agency of news items and most of the articles that referred directly or indirectly to the elections and the election campaign were published by Noi.md and Timpul.md, while the lowest number by Gagauzinfo.md, shows the first report on the monitoring of the online media during the electoral period and the campaign prior to the snap parliamentary elections of July 11. The report was produced by the Association of Independent Press (API) and was presented by the Association’s expert Aneta Gonţa in a news conference at IPN.
Aneta Gonţa said they monitored the portals Actualităţi.md, Agora md, Găgăuzinfo.md, Kp.md, Newsmaker.md, Noi.md, Realitatea.md, Sputnik.md, Timpul.md and Unimedia.info. During the first ten days of June, Actualitati.md and Kp.md had a similar electoral behavior, with the Electoral Bloc of the Communists and the Socialists (EBCS) and representatives of the PSRM being promoted by the two portals. Both of the publications presented the PAS and President Maia Sandu in disfavoring contexts. In cases of accusations or insinuations, the reply of those concerned was absent. Noi.md and Sputnik.md, even if they covered a wider range of electoral events, showed more sympathy with the EBCS and also a critical and disfavoring attitude towards the PAS.
Gagauzinfo.md devoted not much attention to electoral subjects. Even if a clear tendency to favor or disfavor election contender wasn’t seen, the PAS was slightly disfavored, while the Shor Party, the Party “Democracy at Home” and the EBCS appeared more in contexts that favored them. Unimedia.info presented the PAS neutrally numerically and also in a context that disadvantaged the party. The EBCS was presented in unfavorable and neutral contexts, while the PPDA was presented in a favorable light in the largest number of articles compared with other contenders. Several articles represented electoral advertising, but weren’t marked as such and appeared in the general newscast.
Agora.md and Newsmaker.md had in general a relatively balanced editorial policy in relation to the electoral subjects. Most of their content was equidistant, but the attached videos in many cases contained elements that favored or disfavored particular election contenders.
Realitatea.md covered the electoral events in a relatively balanced way, particular videos favoring or disfavoring election runners. There were detected several texts that contained advertisements, but they weren’t marked appropriately.
Timpul.md had a tendentious electoral policy, the electoral events and contenders being presented selectively and with an attitude that lacked journalistic equidistance. The publication openly supported and massively favored the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), having a hostile behavior towards other contenders.
The monitoring is conducted within the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections and will continue until the election day. The API will present reports after each ten days of campaign. The project is financed by the National Endowment for Democracy (U.S.).
