Mass media nongovernmental organizations express their regret at the attempt made by the European People’s Party of Moldova (PPEM) to exert pressure on media outlets and to give them “lessons of journalism”. In a statement, the NGOs remind that the PPEM, on its Facebook page on March 13, published an open letter by which it calls on the journalists of TV8, Jurnal TV and Unimedia to balance the formulations concerning Deputy Prime Minister Iurie Leanca so as to correctly inform the public, IPN reports.
The statement signed by the media NGOs says the members of the party are dissatisfied with the fact that the background of the broadcast news items almost every time present Iurie Leanca in a negative light and associate this with the (collective!) decision he took when he was Prime Minister about the provision of state guarantees for the three robbed banks. The same letter provides information and details for an alternative background that shows the politician in a favorable light.
The signatories consider such an attitude can be described as interference in the work of journalists and an attempt to exert pressure on journalists. “We note that the role of the press is to monitor subjects of public interest and to inform the public about these, while the Law on the Freedom of Expression provides that the persons who hold public posts can be subject to criticism. We also note that the press institutions have their own self-regulatory body – the Press Council,” reads the statement.
The NGOs said the persons who consider that their rights were affected by a published article can go to the Press Council or can solve the problem by discussing with representatives of editorial staffs. These call on the political parties not to become involved in the work of media outlets and to allow the journalists to do their job without external interference.
The statement was signed by the Independent Journalism Center, Independent Press Association, Journalistic Investigations Center, Committee for the Freedom of the Press, Association of Independent Tele-Journalists and “Acces-Info” Center.
