Press freedom day marked in Moldova with protest meeting
Several hundred Moldovan journalists and interested citizens gathered last Sunday before the National Opera and Ballet Theater for a meeting of protest on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day.
The meeting was organized by the Union of Journalists of Moldova (UJM), the Independent Press Association (API), the Electronic Media Association (APEL), and the Independent Journalism Center (CIJ), whose representatives stated that this year the Day was marked in the conditions of intimidation of journalists and media outlets following the April 5 parliamentary elections.
UJM Chairman Valeriu Saharneanu said the protest action was convoked to draw the attention of the domestic and international public to systematic violations of press freedom in Moldova.
Saharneanu said, “The latest annual Freedom House Report shows there is no press freedom in Moldova. The Report data were presented as of December 31, 2008. Therefore, the recent-most abuses of power, restrictions, and press intimidation in the Republic of Moldova, which grew particularly outrageous after April 5, have not yet been reflected in the document”.
API Executive Director Petru Macovei voiced discontent with journalists who cover events partially and incorrectly and fall under the Communist authorities’ influence.
“A journalist must be a genuine watchdog of democracy. It is very important for journalists, particularly those employed at the public television, to be objective and present the reality the way it is, and to never deceit the society because e.g. the Moldovan rural populace, having no alternative sources of information, are brainwashed and misinformed by the national television”, Macovei said.
Liberal Democratic Party leader MP Vlad Filat said that it is only with an independent press that Moldova can develop into a democratic, European state. In that context, Filat and MP Leonid Bujor from the Moldova Noastra Alliance promised the public an early election in Moldova soon that will let have a democratic government and free press.
Several Moldovan writers and politicians congratulated the journalists on their professional holiday, and wished them success in covering events accurately and impartially.
The World Press Freedom Day is celebrated every year on May 3 worldwide. It is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed World Press Freedom Day in 1993, following a recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991.
Infotag
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