Who is attending the Forum? Debates: advertising market regulations, professionalization of contributors, and sustainability of independent media
In addition to topics related to media legislation and information resilience, participants in the 10th edition of the Media Forum, which will take place on December 8 and 9, 2025, in Chisinau, will also discuss the economic challenges facing the industry: the state of the advertising market, training for editorial staff, and international support for the sustainability of independent media.
Thus, one of the Forum’s debates will discuss the written rules and unwritten practices of the media advertising market. What is happening in the advertising market and why has the new advertising law, adopted in 2022, not had the desired effect? Why are attempts to distort the market and price dumping practices in digital and traditional advertising tolerated? These and other questions will be addressed by participants in the debate moderated by Stas Popov, executive director of the Audit Bureau of Circulation and Internet (BATI). Representatives of the Competition Council and advertising agencies, managers and sales directors from Moldovan media companies have been invited to the discussion.
“The media of today and tomorrow: what professionals do we need, who trains them and how?” is the topic of another debate at the Media Forum 2025. Modern newsrooms need not only reporters and editors, but also multimedia specialists, cameramen and image editors, social media and IT managers, and other collaborators. Anastasia Nani, deputy director of the Independent Journalism Center (IJC), will discuss with participants in this debate the staffing needs of newsrooms, the offerings of professional training institutions, and how they are adapting to the real needs of specialists. Representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, the State University and the International Free University, the Multimedia Department of the Academy of Music, Theater, and Fine Arts, and several media managers have been invited.
The last debate of the Forum will focus on international support for strengthening the sustainability of the independent Moldovan press. The discussion with representatives of donors and editorial offices, moderated by media researcher Victor Gotișan, will analyze the current challenges facing the independent media and how international organizations can provide support to address them. A presentation on this topic will be given by Mariia Leonova, international management consultant at Jnomics Media in Ukraine. Mariia has relevant expertise in marketing and media business development, teaches at the Stockholm School of Economics (Riga), Deutsche Welle Akademie (Germany), FOJO Institute (Sweden), and provides support to media organizations in developing audience growth strategies, sustainable business models, and effective organizational processes. The debate is held with the support of the Center for Human Rights and Democracy of People in Need in the Czech Republic.
Mandatory pre-registration for participation in the Media Forum 2025 takes place on the official website of the event and will be open until November 30, 2025 inclusive. Those wishing to participate must complete the form on the website and select the events they wish to attend on the first and second days of the Forum. As a result of the registration, the organizers will select approximately 150 participants, whose list will be published five days before the Forum.
The Media Forum in the Republic of Moldova is organized annually by the Press Council as the national self-regulatory authority for journalism, in partnership with the Independent Press Association (API), the Independent Journalism Center (IJC), and the Electronic Press Association (APEL).
The 2025 edition of the Forum is supported by the European Union, International Media Support (Denmark), the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (Germany), the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the Soros Foundation Moldova, and DW Akademie (Germany).
