Europe & Eurasia

Moldova

{This graph represents scores that have been modified by CIMA so that higher scores indicate a better media situation. It is intended to show trends over time; each index measures significantly different factors of press freedom. To see an explanation for how this graph was created, click here.}
 

IREX Description:

Many aspects of the media sector progressed during 2010. First, boosted by an infusion of significant foreign investments, new print and electronic media appeared. With a revival of competition, standards of quality for media products increased. The regional media, however, especially outlets in Gagauzia, still survive on donations of a political nature.

Indeed, all objectives showed strong improvement in score compared to last year. After ears of stagnation in the middle of the "unsustainable, mixed system" scoring category, Moldova has achieved its highest overall score and its first time achieving a score in the "near sustainability" range, even if by a fairly small margin.

Read more on IREX’s site…

Freedom House Description:

Press freedom continued to decline in 2008 as the ruling Communist Party restricted independent reporting ahead of the 2009 parliamentary elections. The party had lost some key posts in the 2007 local elections. While the government has made some attempts to comply with the requirements of European integration in recent years, enacting a number of democratic legal reforms, those changes have not been properly implemented or enforced, and media restrictions have continued. In an indication of the government’s emphasis on appearances, Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev appealed to journalists in January to refrain from tarnishing Moldova’s image abroad, asking instead that discussions of state abuses or violations be limited to domestic forums.

Read more on Freedom House’s site…

Reporters Without Borders Description:

Publications quickly run into difficulties if they expose corruption, particularly among the leadership, or reveal the source of their income. This is what happened to the popular Jurnal de Chisinau in April 2009 when it prepared to publish a series of articles about the personal fortune of President Voronin. The edition carrying the first article, devoted to the president’s son, never reached the newsstands because the state-controlled printers claimed that technical problems prevented them from printing the issue.

Political tensions that followed opposition claims of rigging in legislative elections on 5 April 2009 had a direct impact on the press, which was targeted by demonstrators and worse still treated as an enemy by the security forces. Editor of the Jurnal de Chisinau was arrested and held for several hours, while Oleg Brega, a journalist on Jurnaltv belonging to the same group as Jurnal de Chisinau, was assaulted by several people on 8 April. The following day he and a colleague were arrested and held throughout the day and his apartment was searched. Romanian media and journalists were especially targeted. Around 20 of them, working either for Romanian press or for international media such as AFP, Reuters, AP and others were prevented from entering the country without any valid reason being given. Others were expelled. Doru Dendiu working for Romanian public television TVR was even arrested while he was about to appear on the Romanian lunchtime news and was told a few days later that his accreditation was being withdrawn. A team working for Realitatae TV was detained for several hours at the interior ministry. A young Moldovan fixer, resident in France, who helped some Swedish journalists with a report, was brutalised by Moldovan police. Independent news websites, but also social networking sites such as Facebook, Odnoklassniki, Vkontakte and others, were blocked for several days.

Read more on RSF’s site…

Visit CPJ’s Site for Recent Developments in this Country

Visit IFEX’s Site for Recent News on Media in this Country