IJC Launched the Moldovan Press Status Index. In 2021, the media is still in a severe state
In 2021, the situation of media in the Republic of Moldova remained severe. According to the 2021 Moldovan Press Status Index (MPSI), published by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) on Monday, 21 February, though the indicators improved slightly compared to previous years, major systemic problems in the activity of the media were far from being rectified.
The document is released for the sixth consecutive year and provides an overall diagnosis of the media, specifying the issues and key developments in the media sector of the Republic of Moldova. According to the study, the state of the local press this year again received modest score, being assessed by 14 evaluators.
The report shows, inter alia, that media outlets and journalists, mainly from the independent press, did not accomplish their social mission in complete safety. Although no cases of breaking into professional premises or severe harm to journalists’ bodily integrity were registered, intimidation and threats against journalists, mainly from politicians, continued throughout 2021.
Experts involved in the media assessment said that the few adjustments to the legal framework regulating the media activity failed to produce the expected impact. The paper also shows that the amendment of CAMS, on two occasions, distances the national rules from the international standards, and poor enforcement of legislation remains a major issue, making it more difficult to access information of public interest.
MPSI also shows how certain events in the political, economic and professional spheres influenced the activity of the media in 2021.
The MPSI methodology contains seven indicators, relevant to the realities of the Moldovan media: regulatory legal framework; political context; economic environment; professional environment; quality of journalism; information security from a media perspective; safety of journalists. This methodology provides a diagnosis of both the overall media, and of each aspect separately, allowing also to determine the areas that need interventions that would remedy the working conditions of the media so that the press could meet its commitments. The annual development of the Index shows the evolution or, as appropriate, the reversal of the situation over time.
The author of the document, media expert Ion Bunduchi, proposed a set of recommendations that could improve the situation.
This report is part of the ‘Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion and Accountability in Moldova (MEDIA-M)’ project, funded by USAID, UK and implemented by Internews in Moldova. Its purpose is to promote the development of an independent and professional mass-media and to build a media sector that is more resilient to political and economic pressure.
