First fines imposed for covering of electoral campaign. Six media services providers sanctioned in Moldova

Chisinau, 21 October /MOLDPRES/ - The Audiovisual Council (CA) has sanctioned six media servicers’ providers with fines worth 31,000 lei (1,550 euros) for infringements of the Electoral Code, found out in the fifth report on monitoring the coverage of the electoral campaign at TV and radio during 9-15 October 2023. These are the first fines imposed by CA for the coverage of the electoral campaign at TV and radio.    

According to the institution, five out of 42 TV and radio stations did not observe the legal provisions, according to which the presentation of the findings of the opinion polls on the political preferences of the voters should be accompanied additionally by the following information: the person who ordered the opinion poll, who carried out and, if it is known, who paid the opinion poll; the methodology used and the period when the opinion poll was conducted; geography of the poll, number of respondents and the error margin; authorization or lack of authorization of the opinion poll by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC).  

At the same time, the media services Moldova-1, Pro-TV Chisinau, TV8, Radio Chisinau and Radio Moldova broadcast in the main news bulletins subjects on the findings of an opinion poll with electoral topic on the political preferences of the voters at the local elections due on 5 November 2023. CA noted said, within the presentation of the opinion poll, the providers omitted the methodology used when conducting the opinion poll and/or the financing source, the poll’s authorization by CEC, the person who ordered the opinion poll, the period when the poll was carried out.   

At the same time, ART-TV and Pro TV Chisinau did not include the heading, Electoral Campaign 2023, in the news bulletins, although they broadcast electoral subjects. Thus, they infringed the legal provisions which establish that the subjects with electoral character are included in the heading, Electoral Campaign 2023, highlighted through the acoustic and visual signs in the beginning and in the end.    

The stations Moldova-1, TV8, ART-TV, Radio Chisinau and Radio Moldova were fined with 5,000 lei each and Pro TV Chisinau, which had two infringements,  - with 6,000 lei.  

The report on monitoring was published on the webpage of CA and submitted to the Central Electoral Commission.

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