The Independent Journalism Center releases the results of the fourth phase of Media Monitoring of the Election Campaign for the Early Parliamentary Elections of November 28, 2010

The Independent Journalism Center, as part of the Civic Coalition for Free and Fair Elections, releases the results of the fourth phase of monitoring the manner in which the major media in Moldova have reflected the campaign for the early parliamentary elections.

General Conclusions

Radio/TV: Between 1-7 November, 2010, the 10 monitored radio and TV stations broadcasted a total of 2,818 materials with direct or indirect electoral impact, a 43% increase compared to the previous period of monitoring. The greatest amount consisted of news and special electoral programs, including debates, where the representatives of electoral competitors had the opportunity to present their electoral programs and to debate the platforms of other competitors. The amount of electoral advertizing, as well as the amount of free broadcasting time, grew noticeably.

During this reporting period, public stations Moldova 1 and Radio Moldova provided a balanced reflection of the electoral campaign, managing to ensure pluralism of opinions both in news items and by means of special electoral programs and free broadcasting time. Both stations provided access to a great number of electoral competitors to present their electoral platforms. In most cases the relevant topics were presented neutrally; some competitors, however, appeared in either a positive or negative light. At Radio Moldova, the representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova (LDPM) and of the Liberal Party (LP) had more appearances in news items with indirect electoral implications, featuring topics that might benefit them electorally.

A private station with national coverage, Prime TV, reflected the campaign mainly in news items and opinion programs. Judging by the frequency of references to competitors in news broadcasts and other programs, as well as, the context in which they were mentioned, Prime TV slightly favors the Democratic Party of Moldova (DPM).

NIT is the only TV station which openly campaigns for the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM). During the reported period, NIT failed to provide pluralism of opinions in news items, and most of the electoral competitors had limited access to this station’s news. Due to the free broadcasting time and the debates, several competitors presented their electoral platforms at NIT during this period.

Another private station with national coverage, 2 Plus, continued to passively reflect the campaign, providing the public with only brief information about competitors and their electoral platforms. Thus, this station did not fully accomplish its role of informing the public about various candidates.

N4, a station with regional coverage, more actively refleced electoral topics in its news programs, providing pluralism of opinions by quoting various competitors, including independent candidates. However, the most frequentreferences in a positive context were made about the representatives of the LDPM.

Publika TV news station showed no evident tendency towards favoring any of the electoral competitors. Judging by the frequency in which competitors were presented in a negative context, Publika TV showed a slight disapproval of the PCRM.

Another news station, Jurnal TV, presented electoral competitors mostly in a neutral way, but in positive and negative light as well, depending on the context. Taking into account the great number of positive references to the Party for the Country and the People (PCP) in news and programs, one can claim that Jurnal TV slightly favors the PCP and disapproves of the PCRM.

Vocea Basarabiei displayed disapproval of the PCRM and favored the LP and the LDPM, while Prime FM favored the DPM and slightly disapproved of the PCRM and the LDPM.

Print Media/News Agencies/Web Portals: The print media, including news agencies and web portals, increased both the amount of materials covering the electoral campaign and the area allotted for their publication. Thus, the number of materials grew to 599, which is a 17.9% increase compared to the previous week. Electoral education materials were not a priority in the editorial planning of the monitored newspapers, news agencies and sites; they covered less than 2% of the total area allotted to articles concerning the electoral campaign.

With some exceptions, the media continue to reflect to electoral campaign from the perspective of the electoral competitors that they approve of, or of those upon which their owners and editors depend.

Some of the monitored media outlets (especially www.omg.md, newspapers Nezavisimaia Moldova and Moldova Suverană) seemed to have assumed the role of the PCRM party’s media. This electoral competitor was intensely promoted, and attempts were made to convince the readers of the idea that it has a massive amount of support in entire localities of the country, at the expense of the Alliance for European Integration (AEI) and of the LDPM, the DPM and the LP, which were presented almost exclusively in negative light.

The editorial policy of newspapers Timpul de dimineaţă and Jurnal de Chişinău showed a tendency to disapprove of the PCRM in the absolute majority of journalistic materials, as opposed to the editorial preference for the liberally oriented parties and non-communist parties in general. This statement is partially true for newspapers Panorama, Evenimentul Zilei, Gazeta de Sud, Flux.

The Infotag news agency and the Cuvântul newspaper had a relatively balanced editorial approach in the reported week, presenting various opinions and positions of the parties in the context of the electoral campaign. Two other monitored media outlets – the Moldpres news agency and www.unimedia.md observed the principle of diversity of sources and opinions, showing however, some preference for liberally oriented electoral competitors.

Komsomolskaia pravda v Moldove published more electoral advertizing than news and opinion articles, the content for which was favorable for the LDPM and the DPM, during the reported week.

Regional newspapers Vesti Gagauzii and Golos Bălţi continued to be seemingly uninterested in reflecting the electoral campaign, and provided almost no information to the readers about the elections of November 28, 2010.

The project “Monitoring mass media during the electoral campaign” is implemented in partnership with the Independent Press Association and the Institute for Marketing and Polls IMAS-INC Chisinau. The monitoring period is September 28 to November 28, 2010. The results will be published in bimonthly reports, in the first month of the monitoring, then in weekly reports.

The project is funded by the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Moldova, by the Council of Europe and by the East-European Foundation, with funds provided by the Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, National Endowment for Democracy (NED), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Eurasia Foundation. Also, this report is made possible with the generous support of the American people, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under AED`s Moldova Civil Society Strengthening Program (MCSSP).

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of donors.