The first chapter, "Evolutions and trends in the Moldovan press in 2009", reviews the most important political events in the country, analyzes the behavior of media in election campaigns and assesses the press situation in terms of market competition.

Chapter two is dedicated to public broadcasting sector and looks into how the Broadcasting Coordinating Council, the public broadcasters Teleradio-Moldova and Teleradio Gagauzia, as well as the local broadcaster Teleradio Balti have performed in 2009 in terms of their social commitments. However, it was not overlooked the conduct of the public broadcasters and the broadcasting regulatory authority during the two election campaigns in 2009.

Cases of abuses of journalists but also court cases against media are outlined in chapter three "Freedom of speech and defamation in 2009”, which reflects the state of media in terms of respect for the rights of journalists to freedom of expression and information.

The 2009 Report is the first annual report which reports also on media situation in Transnistrian region. Chapter four "Press freedom in Transnistria" reflects chronologically the local media events and the conduct of the local press, and their attitude towards elections in Moldova.

The overall conclusion of the report, outputted in chapter five, is that the media`s situation has worsened considerably in the first half of 2009, when multiple serious violations of journalists` rights have been recorded. However, in the end of 2009, the media market has entered a gradual process of democratization.

The report is available in Romanian, English and Russian languages on www.ijc.md. It was produced with the support of Civil Rights Defenders from Sweden.

For more details: (37322)213652, Doina Costin, the coordinator of the Department for Media Policy and Law, IJC.