Statement

Three non-governmental media organizations – the Independent Journalism Center, the Electronic Press Association, and the Media Guard Association – express their regret and concern over the statement made by Natalia Morari, the TV8 journalist who acknowledged she had had a personal relationship with Veaceslav Platon, a businessman previously sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment for bank fraud and subsequently acquitted after the retrial. Currently, Veaceslav Platon is on the international wanted list for detention; he is accused of “active corruption” and “deceitful practices.”

We believe that Natalia Morari’s relationship with Veaceslav Platon could shatter media consumers’ confidence in a free and independent press.

We regret Natalia Morari’s belated statement. Her conduct could affect TV8’s image as an incorruptible media institution promoting an independent editorial policy.

From the perspective of the Moldovan Journalist’s Code of Ethics, the non-governmental media organizations would like to emphasize that righteousness is one of the professional demands “essential for a journalist and for journalism.” Besides, “journalists should not accept (…) any advantages (…) which could compromise their independence and prestige with the audience or affect the public’s trust in journalists in general.”

We would like to remind you that the journalists who have chosen this profession take an enormous responsibility to their audience and the media institution they represent by informing the public correctly and equidistantly. According to the Code of Ethics, journalists and media institutions have to be aware of the fact that “society’s trust in journalists is the utmost value of their profession.”

Therefore, we urge journalists in the Republic of Moldova to be guided by the principles of fair and unbiased journalism in their activity, to be an example of impartiality, to promote the principle of transparency in their work, and to avoid conflicts of interest or other actions which could undermine the image and the credibility of their profession.

Independent Journalism Center 

Electronic Press Association 

Media Guard Association