Public call on information security of the media space in the Republic of Moldova
In the context of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and the state of emergency established on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, non-governmental media organizations call on the authorities to ensure effective protection of the state’s information space, by adequately preventing and sanctioning attempts of disinformation from outside.
The current situation and security crisis in the region call for urgent measures to protect the citizens of our country from the harmful influence of pro-Kremlin propaganda and disinformation. These measures are necessary to exclude the likelihood that subversive centers in the Russian Federation intensify and expand their media aggression in order to destabilize the socio-political situation and affect the information security of the Republic of Moldova.
Media productions originating in the Russian Federation, distributed including on 24 February 2022 in the broadcasting and through the websites of Moldovan television broadcasters rebroadcasting pro-Kremlin channels, distort the reality, manipulate and misinform, being able to induce panic and cause tensions or social conflicts.
Measures to prevent, detect and counteract complex and persistent threats to the information security of the Republic of Moldova can only be undertaken if legal instruments and well-defined methods, as well as effective collaboration mechanisms, are in place and are operational.
Thus, non-governmental media organizations call on the Parliament and the Broadcasting Council, as well as on other competent authorities in the area of state information security, to:
- establish and implement effective monitoring and control mechanisms to mitigate possible information challenges and protect society from disinformation and/or manipulative information attempts from the Russian Federation;
- counteract through effective sanctions the toxic practices of some media service providers transmitting disinformation and propaganda messages with regard to the geopolitical situation and conflicts, inciting inter-ethnic hatred and promoting war, including by banning the broadcasting/rebroadcasting of these media channels in the Republic of Moldova, following the model of the Baltic States;
- ensure conditions and security for the proper operation, without internal or external interference, of independent media institutions that ensure citizens’ free access to objective and balanced information.
In the same vein, we call on the Moldovan media and journalists to help verify and refute false information and distorted interpretations of the events related to the military conflict in Ukraine, in order to mitigate their negative effects and contribute to the correct and impartial information of consumers of media products.
Independent Journalism Center
Association of Independent Press
Media Guard Association
Center for Investigative Journalism
‘Access-info’ Center
RISE Moldova
Environment and Ecotourism Journalists’ Association
Association of Electronic Press