Monthly Bulletin, January 2024

The Independent Journalism Center (IJC) has sent a new Communication 9.2. to the Committee of Ministers (CM) of the Council of Europe (CoE), which will consider in March the issue of monitoring the proper implementation of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment in the case of Manole and others v. Moldova.

In 2009, the Republic of Moldova was condemned for violating Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which guarantees the right to free expression. The violation persisted during the years 2001-2006, through state authorities’ interference in the editorial policy of Teleradio – Moldova (TRM).

Communication 9.2. of the IJC informs the CM about the developments following the 2021 amendments to the CSMA, which altered the mechanism for appointing and dismissing members of the Audiovisual Council and the top management of TRM. At the same time, the document overturns a number of arguments recently put forward by the Government of the Republic of Moldova under the title of general measures taken to properly implement the ruling.

 

TV8 reporter Viorica Tataru and cameraman Andrei Captarenco were detained in Tiraspol while documenting video footage of a protest organized by self-proclaimed authorities in the region. Eight media NGOs, including the Independent Journalism Center, signed a joint statement condemning the

abusive and illegal practices of separatist forces on the left bank of the Dniester River towards journalists. At the same time, the signatories called on the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova to ensure its citizens the rights and freedoms guaranteed by law. They evoked Article 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, which guarantees the inviolability of individual freedom and security of person, and that under Article 4 para. (1) of the Law on Freedom of Expression, the state is obliged to guarantee freedom of expression of the media.

 

 

The Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS) has opened criminal proceedings in the case of the detention of journalists Viorica Tataru and Andrei Captarenco by the self-proclaimed authorities in Tiraspol on 24 January. They were interrogated by the so-called security forces in the region, who destroyed all their video footage of the protest. They were released after four hours. The Promo-Lex Association also described the incident in Tiraspol as alarming and called on the government to intervene without delay to clarify the circumstances of the detention and ensure the immediate release of the two journalists.

 

Seven non-governmental media organizations, including the Independent Journalism Center, have expressed solidarity with journalists in the Gagauz autonomy who are under pressure and intimidation from representatives of the local administration. On 22 January 2024, Laf.md made public the fact that the journalists of this portal, as well as their colleagues from Nokta.md, are under pressure from Mihail Vlah, the adviser to the Bashkan Evghenia Gutu, responsible for media relations. In a video broadcast live on Facebook on 12 January, he called the Nokta.md reporters “pseudo-journalists” and threatened them. And on 16 January, in another live video broadcast published on the same social network, Mihail Vlah claimed that “there is a grant-eater in Gagauzia, the disrespected Mihail Sirkeli” who allegedly slanders local MPs and the Bashkan.

In a joint statement, media NGOs insist that local representatives in Gagauzia should stop these illegal practices of intimidating inconvenient journalists. The signatories of the statement called on the Moldovan law enforcement agencies to hold the perpetrators of the threats accountable.

 

Ten non-governmental organizations, including the Independent Journalism Centre, Amnesty International Moldova, the PROMO-Lex Association and others, expressed their concern about the new mechanism for suspending the licenses of TV stations, which entails the temporary suspension of the validity of the permit, in the absence of a court decision. The signatory NGOs condemned the lack of transparency in the process of drafting, voting on and implementing the new legal mechanism and called on the authorities to stop such practices. According to the signatories, the newly legislated levers held by the Council for the Promotion of Investment Projects of National Importance have a major potential to be used to the detriment of freedom of expression of the press.

 

 

On the night of 8 to 9 January, the official TV8 email was exposed to a cyber attack, according to the institution’s representatives. Specifically, the perpetrators of the attack sent a message on behalf of the TV station to several people and institutions, claiming that a journalist from the TV8.md website had conducted an interview with the founder of the hacker group DaVinci Group-DVG8873, which presents itself as “an independent cyber force against Ukraine and NATO countries”. The comments were made for the IJC portal Mediacritica by Mariana Rata, senior editor of TV8. It is not a unique case when media institutions in Moldova are subject to cyber attacks. Research published by the Independent Journalism Center shows that representatives of several newsrooms targeted in the study reported that in 2023, especially during August and September, their websites became the target of DDoS attacks, causing outages lasting from a few minutes to several hours.

 

Media Legislation

 

 

The new mechanism for suspending TV stations’ licenses was legislated by Parliament after an amendment was passed last year and was in the public eye on New Year’s Eve. The MPs who promoted the initiative argue the importance of “a level playing field” in the market for investments of importance for state security. On the other hand, some lawyers and experts believe the amendment violates the right to free speech and that the principle of transparency was not taken into account in its drafting.

The draft was voted in first reading on 24 November, and on 18 December, four days before its adoption in final reading, PAS MPs Radu Marian and Virgiliu Paslariuc registered an amendment to add provisions to several laws allowing, among other things, the suspension and revocation of permits issued to legal persons to carry out activities in areas of importance for state security.

The two signatories go on to explain that, after prior approval of an investment of importance for state security, it is equally important to continuously monitor investors entering these sectors of activity because, in the course of time, changes could occur in their situation which could make them ineligible for investment approval.

 

Media Monitoring

 

 

The state-owned Gagauziya Radio Television (GRT) may broadcast news and analytical programs of the Primul in Moldova channel, which was previously suspended during the state of emergency and is now without a broadcasting license. This fact was revealed by journalists of the Nokta.md portal. Representatives of the two channels deny this information. In the meantime, the Audiovisual Council has ordered an investigation into the case, following a self-report by member Ruslan Mihalevschi. The control is ongoing and the president of the AC, Liliana Vitu, told Media Azi that she could not comment on the subject until it is completed.

 

The Media Azi Show

 

 

At the end of 2023, Parliament voted on a new mechanism for suspending and withdrawing TV stations’ licenses. It came into force immediately the next day, in the absence of public consultation. At the beginning of 2024, several civil society organizations condemned this mechanism and the lack of transparency in the process of legislating it. Why was this mechanism necessary and why were the details not made public before the vote? In a new edition of Media Azi Show, these questions were answered by PAS MP Virgiliu Paslariuc and Cristina Durnea, manager of the Media Policy, Legislation and Research Program at the Independent Journalism Center.

 

IJC Updates

 

 

The media partners of the project “Support for refugees in Ukraine through media”–Jurnal TV, ElitaTV, Studio-L, and TV8–shared their experiences producing materials about displaced persons in Ukraine. The event took place in Chisinau on 19 January 2024 and was organized by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC). The project is a UNESCO initiative, funded by the Government of Japan.

IJC Executive Director Nadine Gogu said at the beginning of the meeting that its purpose was to present the results and successes of the project, but also to discuss the challenges faced in the reporting process.

H.E. Yamada Yoichiro, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Moldova, once again thanked the Republic of Moldova for its generosity in supporting refugees from Ukraine, noting that the rights and freedoms of citizens must be protected in times of peace as well as in times of war.

Viorica Zaharia, an expert and mentor in the project, said that the idea of supporting journalists in producing material on refugees seemed to her to be a very good one from the outset, describing the initiative as an opportunity for journalists to refresh their knowledge of UNESCO standards for reporting on vulnerable groups, in this case refugees.

Ana Gherciu, an expert and mentor in the project, was pleased that the term constructive journalism is becoming more widely known among journalists in Moldova.

Over the course of five months, IJC media partners produced dozens of video reports on displaced people from Ukraine, revealing to the public their life stories, challenges and opportunities they found in Moldova.

“Our reports have garnered a large number of views on social media, and the support we felt from the public was extremely important to us,” said Ukrainian journalist Irina Stryapko.

The “Support for Ukrainian Refugees through Media” project implemented by the IJC and funded by the Government of Japan is a UNESCO initiative developed under the Ukraine Situation Regional Refugee Response Plan coordinated by the UNHCR.

 

Promoting media content about and with the participation of refugees from Ukraine is the aim of the Independent Journalism Centre’s Refugees in the News feature, launched and updated on the Media Azi portal during 2023. The column mainly contains articles, broadcasts, reports and other journalistic products produced by the editorial offices of TV8, Jurnal TV, Elita TV, Studio-L, as well as the public TV channel Moldova 1 as beneficiaries of the project “Support for refugees from Ukraine through the media”. The publications illustrate ethical coverage of the problems faced by refugees, various strategies of presenting conflict situations, ethical and sensitive communication in the process of producing materials with and about displaced persons from Ukraine.

On the other hand, through several analyses, editorials and interviews, journalists and media experts have brought to the attention of their colleagues in the media rules and norms to keep in mind when dealing with refugees–vulnerable people with sensitive histories.

The “Support for Ukrainian Refugees through Media” project implemented by the IJC and funded by the Government of Japan is a UNESCO initiative developed under the Ukraine Situation Regional Refugee Response Plan coordinated by the UNHCR.

 

 

Sixty-one percent of children globally get their first digital devices between the ages of 8 and 12, and 11 percent get their first gadget before the age of 5, according to a survey by Kaspersky, a company specializing in cybersecurity and digital privacy.

With technology playing a major role in people’s lives, children are becoming exposed to it and learning how to use it at younger and younger ages. On the one hand, children’s use of technology has its advantages, such as developing digital literacy and multitasking skills. On the other hand, children’s use of certain technologies can have negative effects, such as health and social interaction problems, exposure to harmful content and cyberbullying. For these reasons, parents should try to create a healthy and safe digital environment for their children. Journalist Ana Sirbu and guest Zinaida Soroceanu, an expert in education and relational communication, discuss these and other issues on the cuMINTE Podcast.

 

 

In the digital age, security on social networks should be a major concern for users, says the director of the European Institute for Policy Studies in Moldova, Natalia Spinu, on the latest edition of cuMINTE Podcast. One of the tips the guest gives is limiting access to personal information and restricting its visibility to the general public, which would help protect privacy. Another is to be cautious about accessing links posted by friends. Similarly, when it comes to tempting offers or miraculous prizes, users are advised to check their authenticity, avoiding exposure to possible cyber attacks. One of the most alarming issues the expert highlighted is the risk of sharing personal data on social networks. When accessing unsafe links or distributing malicious content, personal data can be exposed, affecting not only the user who does it, but also their virtual friends.

“Security has many layers and the human factor is the weakest link. It’s up to each of us to be that first line of defence against all these threats,” she concluded.

Listen to the full podcast HERE.

The cuMINTE Podcast is produced by the Center for Independent Journalism with the support from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily represent those of IWPR or its partners.

 

 

Inspired by the “Solutions for Inclusion” hackathon organized by the Independent Journalism Centre (IJC) at the end of June, 2023, one of the participants, the Prietena Mea (My Friend) Association, created and launched “(AI)ABC of Equality”, in which several illustrations from the organization’s previously developed “ABC of Equality” were merged with artificial intelligence. It is worth mentioning that association advocates for a harmonious growth in a society receptive to young people and adults with Down syndrome, promoting tolerance, acceptance and social inclusion.

No special equipment is needed to browse “(AI)ABC of Equality”, as all you need is a smartphone connected to the internet, explains Ludmila Adamciuc, director of the association. According to her, the Hackathon was a unique experience, helping them to strengthen themselves as a team and as an organization implementing innovative solutions.

The Solutions for Inclusion hackathon was organized as part of the project “Building Cohesion in Moldova through Promoting Social Inclusion and Diminishing Discrimination” carried out by the Independent Journalism Center as part of the program “Joint Initiative for Equal Opportunities – Phase II” implemented with the support of the Government of Switzerland.

 

 

IJC and Internews Updates

 

 

The Independent Journalism Center(IJC) has developed and provided the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) of the State University of Moldova with an updated online course on access to information for public officials. The course was developed with the entry into force of the new Law on Access to Information of Public Interest on 9 January 2024. It is structured in three modules: The regulatory framework for access to information of public interest; The procedure for providing information of public interest; The forms of legal liability in case of violation of the right of access to information of public interest.

The online resource was introduced in the Professional Development Plan for Public Officials for the first semester of 2024, approved by the IPA management on 23 January 2024, in order to expand and diversify the “basic educational offer in order to strengthen the professional capacities of public officials and improve the organizational performance of public entities”.

The online course offered by IPA is part of the USAID and UK funded project “Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion and Accountability in Moldova” (MEDIA-M) and implemented by Internews in Moldova, which aims to promote the development of an independent, professional media, and to create a media sector that is more resilient to political and financial pressures.

Loading

Share This

Copy Link to Clipboard

Copy