Journalists criticize stipulations of the Draft Audiovisual Code

The journalists from Chisinau consider that the draft of the Audiovisual Code, passed in first reading in Parliament, doesn’t correspond to certain media standards and is rather politicized then preoccupied to solve the problem of the audiovisual, informs Info-Prim Neo. On Friday, April 14 In Chisinau a round table took place with the participation of the journalists, mass-media experts, specialized NGO representatives and political parties which discussed and analyzed the project of the Audiovisual Code. According to Vasile Botnaru, the head of Europa Libera Office in Chisinau, the project adopted in first reading, is not preoccupied of the editorial freedom of the journalists but regulates the way the top of the pyramid will be formed, the leadership of the audiovisual. The solution, according to Botnaru, doesn’t have to be necessarily grounded on political arrangements but on the active and punctual participation of the civil society. The civil society must take an immediate attitude so the politicians would give up, because their interest is to take over an enormous instrument that represents the fourth force, said Botnaru. The publicist Constantin Tanase considers that the document limits the access of the civil society and of the politicians that have another political view to the leadership of the Audiovisual Coordinating Council. That means that after the second reading we might find out that the proposed structure of CCA copies the old one, added Tanase. The way the members of CCA will be approved, according to the project, is one of the most discussed and criticized stipulation of the Code. Members of CCA, according to the Code, will be elected by the Parliament with two thirds of the votes. This fact offers the possibility for political involvement in the activity of CCA. The code, approved on April 6 by the Parliament was drew up by the communist, Christian-democratic and democrat deputies. According to the authors, the project of the Code aims to institute democratic principles for the Moldovan audiovisual and to protect the rights of the program consumers. The document consists of 9 chapters and 69 articles, informs Info-Prim Neo.