The situation of the mass media in the Republic of Moldova remains affected by serious problems, although it has registered a slight evolution, according to the Index on the State of the Press in Moldova (ISPM) in 2023, launched by the Independent Journalism Center (CJI) on Monday, February 5.
The document is developed for the eighth consecutive year and identifies the key developments in the media sector, but also the factors that have a negative impact on the fulfillment of the social mission of the media and can endanger the natural evolution of the mass media. The state of the domestic press was appreciated by 14 evaluators with a score that did not even reach half of the required (60 points) to certify that the media legislation is sufficient and effective, that the press operates in favorable economic conditions or that journalists carry out their work in full security conditions.
The report shows, among other things, that the most problematic sectors for the media were and remain the economic environment, information security and the political context.
According to ISPM, the laws governing the activity of the mass media have been amended/supplemented with new, necessary and timely legal norms. However, the faulty application of the legislation remains a major problem, making the provision of access to information of public interest the most vulnerable. The study also reveals how the political, social and economic context, tense throughout 2023, influenced the media’s activity.
The author of the document, expert Ion Bunduchi, proposes a set of recommendations that could improve the situation.
Source: CJI
