The situation of the media in the Republic of Moldova remained characterized by serious problems in 2023, according to the Index on the State of the Press in the Republic of Moldova (ISPM) launched by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) on February 5, for the eighth consecutive year. The group of selected evaluators consisting of 14 members analyzed seven indicators relevant for the local press: the regulatory legal framework; the political context; the economic environment; the professional environment; the quality of journalism; information security from a media perspective; journalists’ safety.
The seven indicators include a total of 15 statements with five reply options. Each reply corresponds to a certain score on a scale of four to zero, with “four” meaning “the best” and “zero” meaning “the worst.” A score of 60-50 reveals that the media situation is good; 49-39 – the situation of the media is relatively good; 38-28 – the situation of the media is characterized by serious problems; 27-17 – the situation of the media is serious; 16-0 – the situation of the media is extremely serious.
The 2023 ISPM numerical index is 33.07 and demonstrates, for the second consecutive year, that the situation of the media in the Republic of Moldova is characterized by serious problems, yet, at the same time, it has shifted from the area of the serious situation, where it used to be until last year. The ISPM also suggests that the media still has half way to go before reaching the next stage of qualification corresponding to a relatively good situation.
Regulatory Legal Framework
According to the experts’ assessment, the score for the efficiency, quality, and sufficiency of media legislation was 33.66 points which indicates that there were serious problems. However, it is the first time that this indicator is above the threshold of 30 points, which is an increase compared to all the years in which the media situation was assessed.
In 2023, the media activity legal framework was supplemented with new, necessary and timely legal provisions. Some normative provisions were brought in line with the international standards. Still, the audiovisual media legislation remains negatively affected by the 2021 amendments which brought the national public media service provider under parliamentary control, and irrevocability of the BC members was excluded. During the reporting period, implementation of the legislation was also flawed, with some exceptions. Providing access to information of public interest still remains a major issue.
Political Context
The political context improved by five points compared with the previous year, reaching 33. Although 2023 was politically tumultuous, it was a favorable year for media activity, without experiencing pressure or abuse from the governance.
Still, the 2023 political context was not free of vexations drawbacks, especially at the regional and local levels. The experts recall the media threats journalist Mihail Sirkeli from the Nokta portal in Comrat was subjected to from a deputy from the ATUG People’s Assembly during a broadcast by the regional public service provider; the attempt by Vasile Borta, Mayor of Costesti Village, Ialoveni District, to prevent the access of the Ialovenionline.md portal reporters to draft decisions of the village council; the attacks from Ion Ceban, Chisinau Municipality Mayor, against the media covering problems in the capital; the situation in which Vladimir Bolea, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, swore at a journalist who asked him questions during a press conference; the case of Elena Covalenco, IPN Agency photojournalist, who was declared “an undesirable person” for three years by the Tiraspol regime in the Transnistrian region.
Economic Environment
Although the score of 27 points demonstrates some progress compared to the previous years, it still signifies a serious situation of the economic environment in which the media worked in 2023.
More than half of the TV channels in the country registered losses (39 out of 68 channels), 16 had “zero profit,” and 13 earned some income, according to the data from the Broadcasting Council (BC) from 2022. The BC also reports some channels’ significant dependence on external grants. As to the six TV channels, their degree of dependence ranges from 50% to 85%.
The online press faces fierce competition with such giants as Google or Meta when economic entities prefer options which increase the degree of “targeting” the audience. On the other hand, attempts to diversify funding sources by subscriptions, advertising, private contributions, or collecting donations from the audience are currently not efficient enough to ensure newsrooms’ economic independence.
Professional Environment
The media professionalization process accumulated 35 points, a sign that the situation of the professional environment in 2023 was characterized by serious problems, which was registered for the fourth time in the seven years since the ISPM was calculated. Professional educational institutions as a central element in the professionalization process implement initiatives for better staff training in the media sphere, but their impact is still insufficiently noticeable. In 2023, media managers also complained about an obvious lack of well-trained staff which they hardly deal with, even if attractive and motivating salaries are offered.
Quality of Journalism
The quality of journalism has slightly progressed compared to the previous years. The score of 34.66 reveals a situation characterized by serious problems. In the Republic of Moldova, external media pluralism faces the same risks reported in the previous years. They refer to imbalanced geographical distribution, editorial content, and the media ownership regime. Internal media pluralism achieved minor developments due to the emergence of new journalistic products which slightly diversified the media offer. However, the impact of the sphere’s chronic ailments, such as the “copy paste” phenomenon or the rush for clicks, were also registered in 2023.
Information Security from a Media Perspective
Information security from a media perspective totaled 29 points, shifting from the area of the serious situation where it used to be during all the previous years to the area of the situation characterized by serious problems. Even in 2023, the national information space was permanently overflowed with foreign narratives, oriented towards misguiding the Republic of Moldova from its course of European integration. Some evaluators consider that the national information space “cleared” in 2023, compared to the previous years, explaining this statement by the fact that the authorities suspended the broadcasting licenses of some TV channels and blocking several websites for spreading “disinformation narratives from the Russian Federation and hate speech.”
Safety of Journalists
In 2023, the level of media safety totaled 38 points, reaching the upper margin of the qualification step which reveals a situation characterized by serious problems. This indicator is one step away from reaching the next step, which demonstrates a relatively good state of affairs. In 2023, no media institutions, regardless of the way they practiced its profession and fulfilled their mission, were subjected to aggressions aimed at devastating them, seizing their circulation, or destroying their equipment or machinery. However, the evaluators registered several cases of using abusive language and media intimidation. For instance, Ion Ceban, Chisinau Municipality mayor, repeatedly launched serious accusations against newsrooms that which covered the way the municipality’s issues were managed.
Cases of aggression during the anti-government protests organized by the politician Ilan Sor in spring were registered. There also were cases of online harassment of journalists. Besides, a new form of intimidation of journalists such as prohibitions to enter the territory of the Transnistrian region and the territory of the Russian Federation should be mentioned.
The ISPM provides several recommendations, which include adjusting and revising mechanisms for managing newsroom budgets and continuing the debates on using artificial intelligence for producing media content.