“One leu for Euro TV” – this is the name of a campaign, which was launched by the Chisinau-based “Euro TV” municipal station in an effort to raise funds to cover its running costs. According to Arcadie Gherasim, “Euro TV” director, following the adoption in July of the new Broadcast Code, part of advertisers canceled their contracts with the station, which has resulted in a serious cash flow problem and arrears in the payment of salaries. The Code envisages, among other things, the transformation of local public broadcasters into regional branches of the national company “Teleradio Moldova.” According to Gherasim, the fundraiser, which is expected to last two months, will be a “test for the public opinion.” “Euro TV” is considered one of the few independent voices in Moldovan news media. On numerous occasions, it came under attack from the central authorities. Currently, 40 % of the station budget comes from the city coffers, while the rest is covered by advertising revenues. “Euro TV” has a staff of 59, including 30 journalists. For more information, contact the station at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text5889 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (Monitor Media, IJC).

Twenty students, who had been accepted for the ten-month, graduate-level, certificate program of journalism, began class work on 4 September. By winter break they will have received instruction in news basics, law and ethics, photojournalism, radio and TV news, community journalism, opinion writing and introduction to media management. A joint project of the Independent Journalism Center (IJC), the Missouri School of Journalism, Press Now from the Netherlands and the Paris-based CFPJ- International Journalists’ Training Center, the school will offer practical training with emphasis on print and broadcast reporting. Inaugural faculty includes leading Moldovan journalists and university instructors, as well as a U.S. journalism professor and a New York Times editor – both on Knight International Press Fellowships at the IJC. In the spring semester, students will have classes on online journalism, computer-assisted reporting, visual journalism, science reporting, business journalism and investigative reporting. They will learn the essentials of feature writing and will prepare a professional project. The program also envisages a four-week internship at a Moldovan news outlet for each of the students. School activities are supported by grants from the U.S. State Department, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the MATRA program of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the British Embassy in Chisinau, the French embassy in Bucharest, and the OSCE mission to Moldova. For more information, please contact Corina Cepoi at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text11336 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and visit the school Web site at http://www.scoaladejurnalism.md (IJC).

A state-of-the art radio studio designed for young Moldovans has been launched at the national public broadcaster with the financial support from the UNICEF office in the country. A joint venture with the Chisinau-based Youth Media Center (YMC), it is part of the project “Strengthening young people’s media network.” The new studio at Radio Moldova will enable more than thirty young people to engage in the production of a weekly, 45-minute program for peers under the guidance of professional journalists from the station. The studio is spacious enough to host talk shows and special meetings. According to Ray Virgilio Torres, head of the UNICEF office in Moldova, a similar studio is scheduled for launching at TV Moldova, and four regional broadcast studios for young people will be opened later this fall throughout the country (YMC).

The BBC celebrated the Moldovan Independence Day on 27 August with the launch of multi-lingual broadcasts for the country’s audiences. The major highlight is a new, 15-minute, news and current affairs program “Actualitatea in Moldova” (Moldova Today). It launched with an exclusive interview with Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin on the country’s first 15 years of independence and the difficulties of moving closer to the EU while maintaining constructive relations with Russia. Future broadcasts will focus on key figures in the political scene and bring reports on the country’s key personalities, culture and economy. In addition to Romanian programming, the BBC will be on air in Chisinau with programs in English, Russian and Ukrainian. The BBC has a 24-hour FM frequency in Chisinau, and will also re-broadcast programs with the help of partner stations across Moldova (BBC, IJC).

Some 90 young journalists from different Moldovan regions attended workshops and lectures organized in the framework of two summer schools in the holiday resort of Holercani in central Moldova. Major highlights included overview of journalism genres, key aspects of human-interest stories, as well as basics of layout and design. Participants had an opportunity to hone their newly-acquired skills by producing two issues of the camp newspaper. The project was administered by the Chisinau-based Youth Media Center (YMC) – a non-governmental organization that provides a variety of skills-development trainings to existing youth media outlets and supports the creation of new ones. Camp participants had benefited from YMC institutional grants. Camp activities were led by YMC trainers as well as two US media experts, who are currently on Knight International Press Fellowships at the Independent Journalism Center. Financial support for the program has been provided by the German government and the Moldovan office of the UNICEF ( www.reporter.md, Deca-Press).

“Novaya volna” (The New Wave) is the name of the new radio station, which was recently launched in the Transnistrian town of Tighina (Bender). The station, which is in the process of finalizing its program concept, will also reach the region’s capital Tiraspol and the town of Slobozia. According to Grigori Volovoi, the station director, five daily newscasts along with a press review and several entertainment shows, are planned. Volovoi said the station will try to focus primarily on “positive news” because the media on both banks of the river Dniester seem to have a penchant for negative information. Transnistria is a region in eastern Moldova, which unilaterally declared independence from the rest of the country in 1990 amid fears that Moldova would reunite with neighboring Romania. Hundreds of lives were lost in several months of fighting in 1991-1992, and no final solution to the conflict has been found despite international mediation. The region’s media are under strict control of the authorities, and “Novaya volna” is expected to join the few independent voices there (Monitor Media, IJC).

Various aspects of legislation on freedom of _expression and freedom of information were discussed during a weeklong training organized by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC). Participants included reporters from print and broadcast media, university students of journalism and law, as well as one communications expert. The course agenda included an introduction into key concepts, as well as sessions on libel, access to information, relevant aspects of the law on advertising and authors’ rights. Among other highlights were overviews of current broadcast regulations, aspects of media financing and media behavior in election campaigns, as well as key principles of media ethics. The training was led by Olivia Pirtac, coordinator of the IJC Media Law Unit, Eugen Ribca, lecturer at the law department of Moldova State University, and Vladislav Gribincea, lawyer at “Lawyers for Human Rights” NGO. International perspective on these issues was provided by Karen Freeman and Steven Knowlton, Knight International Press Fellows from the USA. The training is part of a project supported by a grant from the Open Society Institute Network Media Program (IJC).

Lack of transparency in the process of adopting the new Broadcast Code, as well as insufficient clarity of recent amendments to other media-related laws, have raised serious concern among major media development organizations in Moldova. In a joint statement, the Association of Independent Press, the Moldovan Journalists’ Union, the Press Freedom Committee and the Independent Journalism Center criticized lack of access to the Broadcast Code draft and the rush, in which the document had been adopted in its final reading. The signatories were appalled by the fact that Parliament had not taken heed of the recommendations of the civil society meant to protect local public broadcasting. Under the new Code, these institutions will be transformed into branches of Teleradio-Moldova. According to the declaration, excessive centralization of the editorial policy and the likely introduction of censorship will limit the diversity of Moldovan media landscape and will lead to the disappearance of certain alternative information sources. The signatories also criticized the recent amendments to Article 16 of the Civil Code, which, instead of setting a ceiling on pecuniary damages for defamation, just established certain procedural criteria for judges. According to the four organizations, these criteria are too vague and provide a leeway for pressures on the media. The declaration calls on Moldovan parliament “to offer proof of sincerity in its relations with the civil society and provide a legislative framework that would stimulate the development of the independent press, in line with the European and international standards in the field” (IJC).

Even though certain improvements have been registered in the rapport between the Moldovan authorities and civil society, there are still obstacles to the implementation of the “Moldova – EU Action Plan.” Lack of media freedom and independence remains one of the most serious problems. This is the conclusion of the most recent “Euromonitor” report, which was produced jointly by “Expert Grup” and the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT). According to the report, broadcast legislation has not improved, media are still divided into “pro- and anti-government” outlets, whereas old technologies continue to be used even by newly-created organizations. Major news outlets continue to be controlled by financial and political interests. The report highlights authorities’ influence over the national broadcaster and notes that no real transformation has taken place in the former government-owned publications. Self-censorship remains a distinctive feature of Moldovan media scene. “Euromonitor” provides several recent examples of government pressure on opposition media and recommends continuing international monitoring of the situation in this field, as well as active “intervention” by opposition forces. The report aims to provide assessment of the implementation by Moldovan authorities of their commitments under the “Moldova – EU Action Plan” on a quarterly basis. Progress or lack thereof is monitored in the fields of democratic institutions, the resolution of the Transnistrian conflict, capacity-building of administrative bodies, judicial and economic reforms. The report also analyzes the dynamics in the social field, foreign trade, business climate, border control, combating human trafficking and management of migration. “Expert-Grup” is an independent research organization. ADEPT is a non-governmental organization providing analysis and consultation on the decision-making, political, electoral and social and economic processes in the Republic of Moldova and the region. The project is supported by a grant from the British Government’s Department for International Development. The most recent report can be accessed at: http://www.e-democracy.md/files/euromonitor03.pdf (IJC).

A guide for young journalists planning to start their own publications was recently launched by the Chisinau-based Center of Young Journalist (CTJM). Titled the “ABC of youth media,” the publication provides an overview of the key principles underlying the elaboration of the concept, structure and major topics of a periodical, as well as ways to create and manage the newspaper team and finances. Special sections are devoted to the basics of news reporting and writing, layout and design, distribution and communication with readers. The guide provides tips on how to create and promote the image of a publication, as well as elaborate a newspaper development strategy. All sections were written by young journalists themselves. CTJM was created in 2002 to facilitate the development of youth media in Moldova, especially publications produced outside the capital Chisinau. The Center organizes a variety of training programs for young journalists and facilitates exchange of peer expertise through a nationwide network. The “ABC” was published with the financial support of the Moldovan Education Ministry and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) from the USA. For more information about CTJM, visit http://ctj.md (IJC).