Moldova Media-M program
Freedom House is a proud partner of Internews in implementing the multi-year MEDIA-M project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and UK Aid.
Media-M: Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion and Accountability in Moldova
Freedom House is a proud partner of Internews in implementing the multi-year Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion and Accountability in Moldova (MEDIA-M) project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and UK Aid. Through collaboration with partner civil society organizations in the country, Freedom House aims to boost capacity in civil society to effectively monitor media and to improve the legal and regulatory environment for independent media. Freedom House’s activities address objective 2, which strives to build consumer understanding of independent, reliable, and high quality news, and objective 3, which intends to foster a regulatory environment in which independent media and media support organizations can thrive.
Key Initiatives
Freedom of Expression and the Geopolitical Stalemate: Defending Digital Spaces in the Republic of Moldova
Moldova, like its neighbors in the region, faces challenges and threats to its national security due to the pervasive nature of media and information manipulation instigated by both internal and external actors. This challenge is particularly acute in digital spaces, where misinformation and polarized debate fomented by trolls and other impersonators seriously undercut the security and integrity of the public’s access to objective information. This toxic informational environment also fosters high levels of hate speech.
This policy brief by local expert Victoria Rosa examines the trends and proliferation of freedom of expression online in Moldova, as well as the most acute challenges and threats, with an emphasis on information security. The brief examines the current legislative framework governing information security in Moldova, as well as the important efforts by civil society organizations (CSOs) to identify and draw attention to disinformation and fake news in the country’s digital space. It concludes with targeted recommendations for government, civil society, and the media community.
Reform of Oversight Mechanisms: Bolstering Media Freedom in Moldova
Freedom House engages top international experts to provide analysis and support to ensure that Moldovan frameworks uphold the highest standards for freedom of expression. Freedom House’s Local Representative, Tatiana Puiu, co-chaired the Parliamentary Working Group on audiovisual legislation, which concluded activities in December 2019. The working group contributed to several pieces of legislation that have passed into law, including the National Concept of Media Development, the Law on Attracting Investment for Film and Other Audiovisual Works Production, the Audiovisual Media Services Code and the Information Security Concept.
Click here to download a legal analysis of the draft of the new Audiovisual Code for Moldova.
Strategic Litigation for Freedom of Access to Information
Freedom House partner Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) defends freedom of access to public interest information in Moldova’s courts, targeting state institutions which refuse to provide information of public record. Each of LHR’s legal victories has a life beyond the specifics of the given cases, creating important legal precedents that will continue to govern the behavior of government agencies far into the future.
LHR’s Vreauinfo.md platform aims to facilitate submission of FOIA requests by journalists and other members of Moldovan society. The platform engages citizens to make use of Moldova’s Access to Information Act by helping to lower the barriers that prevent citizens from requesting information from those in power.
Media Policy Forum: A Chokehold on Media Freedom: Navigating Law and Policy Restrictions under Pandemic Conditions
On November 24, 2020, Freedom House held the third annual Media Policy Forum as part of the two-day Mass Media Forum organized by API and the Press Council. This year’s forum took the form of a virtual media policy roundtable on the topic “A Chokehold on Media Freedom: Navigating Law and Policy Restrictions under Pandemic Conditions.” At the roundtable, participants highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on media freedom across the Europe and Eurasia region and drew lessons for the Moldovan context. Participants from Moldova, Latvia and Ukraine shared perspectives from civil society, media and policy-making spheres, and identified policy solutions that maintain respect for international standards on free expression while addressing security and health concerns posed by the global pandemic. This year, the Mass Media Forum took place in a mixed online-offline format. The full event agenda and registration details are available here.
The next Media Policy Forum will be held in summer 2021.
The Forum was made possible in partnership with the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation of Southeast Europe with support from USAID Moldova, UK aid and Internews in Moldova under the MEDIA-M project.
Advocacy Grants - "Media Freedom Matters"
Freedom House and partners provide small advocacy grants to local organizations to improve their ability to raise awareness about the legal and regulatory environment for media. Campaigns may include swift responses to proposed legislation threatening fundamental freedoms or longer-term advocacy initiatives to educate the public about freedom of expression and press freedom.
The competition for the current round of Media Freedom Matters grants is now closed. For detailed information on the most recent competition, please click here.
"Media Forward" Policy Briefs
The 2020 competition for the sixth round of “Media Forward” policy brief authors is now open. To learn more about how to apply, please click here. Applications must be received by 23:59 EST on January 25, 2021.
Media Forward Policy Briefs
Media Policy in a Pandemic: Lessons from Moldova, Ukraine and Latvia
By Anastasia Nani, Lolita Buka, Gina Lentine
The authors examine and compare government approaches to media policy in Moldova, Latvia, and Ukraine in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting independent media’s crucial role in contributing to an effective national health crisis response.
Privacy and Freedom of Expression in Moldova: A Dangerous Imbalance for Journalists
By Patricia Zghibarta
Zgihbarta's brief analyzes how the Moldovan state systematically prioritizes privacy and data protection laws, creating burdensome legal and administrative obstacles for journalists to access information of public interest.
COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Media Freedom in Moldova
By Veaceslav (Slava) Balan and Vladyslav Stegniy
Balan and Stegniy’s brief analyzes the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on media freedom in Moldova, highlighting the troubling new opportunities the pandemic has provided authorities to stifle the press and the new burdens it has placed on independent media outlets.
The Fourth Estate in the Making: Regulation and Reform of Media in Moldova
By Laura Zghibarta
Zgihbarta's brief analyzes media reform across Moldova's three most recent governments, examining each successive approach to regulating the sector and the underlying dynamics that hinder meaningful progress.
Why Access to Information is Still a Problem in Moldova
By Victor Gotișan with Natalia Ionel
Ionel and Gotizan’s brief analyzes the state of freedom of access to information in Moldova, identifying political, bureaucratic and legislative obstacles facing journalists and citizens.
A Human-Centered and Human Rights-based Approach to Media Work
By Slava Balan
Balan’s brief analyzes media coverage in Moldova through a human rights lens, and argues in favor of applying the Human Rights-Based Approach to media work in the country.
The Mixed Electoral System: A New Challenge for Audiovisual Media in Moldova
By Olga Guțuțui
Gututui’s brief focuses on audiovisual media coverage during the 2019 parliamentary electoral cycle, analyzing the extent to which the government and media observed and implemented de jure obligations under the new mixed electoral system.
"Moldnet" and the 2019 Parliamentary Elections
By Igor Fomin
Fomin’s brief analyzes the current landscape of online media that targets Moldova’s Russian-speaking populations, highlighting the important role of this media in influencing Moldovan popular opinion ahead of and during the 2019 Parliamentary elections.
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
By Ludmila Nofit
Nofit's brief identifies negative trends in the Moldovan media environment since the 2016 presidential elections and evaluates the extent to which the same patterns will be followed for the parliamentary elections in February 2019.
Transnistria's Media in Times of Change
By Sergei Zveagintsev
The media in Transnistria, an unrecognized, self-proclaimed republic on the territory of Moldova, remain under the control of powerful political interests. Infighting between elites in recent years has completely redrawn the media landscape, shuttering some publications and changing the editorial line of others.
Cultivating Information Resilience in Moldova’s Media Sector
By Danu Marin
Marin’s brief describes how to combat disinformation in Moldova using emergency management principles and examples from Georgia and Ukraine.
Media Pluralism and the Concentration of Ownership in Moldova
By Nadine Gogu
Gogu’s brief explores the Moldovan media market’s infrastructure and how it fuels the concentration and politicization of media in Moldova.
Seize the Press, Seize the Day: The Influence of Politically Affiliated Media in Moldova’s 2016 Elections
By Mihai Mogildea
Mogildea’s brief explains how politically affiliated media outlets helped their owners distort campaign coverage and influence the 2016 presidential elections in Moldova.
Media Literacy and the Challenge of Fake News
By Victoria Bucataru
Bucataru’s brief examines how external actors have created parallel realities and employed deceiving narratives in an effort to manipulate, control, and disrupt the existing order in Moldova.