Journalists’ Crisis Cell and the solidarization of the journalistic community for solving common problems
The Journalists’ Crisis Cell, launched by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) in 2020, at the start of the pandemic crisis, has proven its effectiveness for about two years, being a platform for solidarization of the media in Moldova. In 2020, through joint efforts, the Crisis Cell managed to convince the representatives of the Ministry of Health to organize online conferences where journalists could ask questions after a long period in which the authorities communicated unilaterally. In 2021, through the same platform, representatives of media outlets determined the officials of that ministry to ensure their immunization in the second stage of vaccination. Such efforts to unite the journalistic community should continue into 2022, some journalists say.
The Crisis Cell was launched by IJC in April 2020, in the context of the state of emergency established because of the COVID-19 pandemic and of notifications about the lack of transparency and restricted access to information of public interest. One of the first initiatives was sending a joint request to the Ministry of Health, in which 25 media organizations and outlets asked the ministry to organize weekly press conferences online, where the media could ask questions and receive answers live. After repeated requests to do so, the ministry followed through on the initiative. Restricted access to information of public interest and lack of transparency remained in the focus of the Crisis Cell in 2021, after the arrival of a new government. In October, for example, the communicators of the Government and of several ministries managed to sit down at a common table to expose problems and identify solutions.
“The problems related to the faulty communication between journalists and authorities during the pandemic period determined the identification of a solution for solidarization of the media in order to solve them. In the absence of a union or trade union of journalists, the Crisis Cell created by the IJC represented a quick solution that has proven useful in time for identifying the common problems of journalists in Moldova and for solving them. The Crisis Cell was activated whenever journalists felt that there was reluctance on the part of state institutions to communicate with all or part of the media on issues of public interest when journalists were intimidated by politicians or state officials or there was a need to protect the rights or freedoms of the press,” says journalist Mariana Rata, co-founder of TV8 television.
Journalist Liuba Șevciuc, the co-founder of CU SENS project, also believes that the Crisis Cell has been a necessary platform for the solidarization of the media community.
“We, journalists, are often dispersed and concerned only with what happens in the editorial offices to which we belong. The problems we face in most cases are, however, the same. In this context, the Crisis Cell is that instrument that comes to unite us and help us make a common cause so that we become a force and together put pressure on the authorities, demanding them to be more transparent and to provide us with more information of public interest. As the proverb goes, ‘Where there’s one, there is no power; where there’s two, the power grows’,” Liuba Șevciuc says.
Not only the lack of transparency and limited access to information of public interest were the focus of the Crisis Cell, but also the safety of journalists. At the insistence of the Crisis Cell, in 2021, the Ministry of Health ensured the immunization, at the second stage of vaccination, of front-line journalists and of the editorial office staff that are in direct contact with them. A large part of Moldovan journalists managed to get vaccinated thanks to this campaign.
“Journalistic solidarity is very important for our profession. A year ago, thanks to this, it was possible to include journalists in the priority group for vaccination against Covid-19. This made it possible to protect many colleagues in the media and, equally, helped the authorities in correctly informing the population about vaccination. I think that in the future such initiatives can improve not only the working conditions of journalists but could also contribute to increasing the level of journalism in the country,” says journalist Nicolae Paholnițchi from NewsMaker.
The IJC aims to further react through the Journalists’ Crisis Cell to identify and solve problems of common interest.
