The Media Fair gathered this year only one third of the media institutions of Moldova

At the Press fair that took place on May 4 in the “Stefan cel Mare si Sfant” public garden, participated 30 media institutions of the Republic of Moldova. The event is organized on the occasion of Press Freedom Days by the Independent Journalism Center, with the financial support of the OSCE mission of Moldova. The executive director of IJC, Corina Cepoi, declared to the press that nearly 100 media institutions were invited but only one third of them announced their availability to participate. This fact was mentioned in the speeches of the mass-media representatives that participated at the event. According to them the Moldovan press is not united on many occasions, not even on organizing this event that became already traditional. According to Corina Cepoi, the goal of the Fair is to ease approaching to the information consumers and to create the possibility for the media institutions to present their offer. The head of the “Jurnal de Chisinau” newspaper, Val Butnaru, declared that the media institutions’ presence at the Fair is not enough, they should also tackle serious problems of the Moldovan press. Butnaru regrets the fact these problem are not interesting for the journalists themselves and a big part of his colleagues were not even present at the event. “It is offending for the press that the government mimes the acceptance of the free press and that it is indifferent to the existence of independent press” added the director of “Jurnal de Chisinau”. The team from Antena C radio, supported by its listeners expressed their concern and disapproval towards the intention of the authorities to liquidate the station as public institution. No one has seen a single representative of the political leadership at the journalists’ forum. At the Press Fair participated the newspapers “Timpul de dimineata”, “Ziarul de Garda”, “Jurnal de Chisinau”, “Capitala”, “Aquarelle”, “VIP-Magazin”, „Koмсомольская правда”, „Экономическое обозрение” and municipal „Antena C” radio station and „Euro TV Chisinau” TV station, etc.