MEDIA MONITORING DURING the ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN for the General Local Elections of October 20, 2019, and for New Parliamentary Elections in Single-Member Districts No

MEDIA MONITORING DURING THE ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN for the general local elections of October 20, 2019, and for new parliamentary elections in single-member districts no. 17, 33, 48, and 50

Report no. 3 October 5-11, 2019

This report has been prepared by the Independent Journalism Center with the support of East Europe Foundation, from the resources provided by Sweden, and with the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and UKAID. The opinions expressed belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the donors.

1. General data Purpose and objectives of the project: Monitor and inform the public about media behavior during the election campaign and the access of the candidates to the media. The aim of monitoring is to analyze reporting trends that may affect the performance of media outlets and compromise their ability to provide accurate, unbiased and pluralistic information to the public. Monitoring period: September 20 - October 19, 2019

Criteria for selecting the media outlets to be monitored: • audience/impact—national, regional; • media type—audiovisual; • form of ownership—public, private; • broadcasting language—Romanian, Russian.

List of the monitored media outlets:

Moldova 1 (19:00) – public television, national coverage, broadcasts in Romanian and Russian; Prime TV (21:00) – private television, national coverage, broadcasts in Romanian and Russian; Publika TV (17:00) – private television, national coverage, broadcasts in Romanian and Russian; Jurnal TV (19:00) – private television, regional coverage, broadcasts in Romanian and Russian; NTV Moldova (19:00) – private television, regional coverage, broadcasts in Romanian and Russian; RTR Moldova (19:00) – private television, regional coverage, broadcasts in Russian and Romanian; TV 8 (19:00) – private television, regional coverage, broadcasts in Romanian and Russian; Pro TV (20:00) – private television, regional coverage, broadcasts in Romanian; Accent TV (20:00) – private television, regional coverage, broadcasts in Romanian and Russian; Televiziunea Centrală (20:00) – private television, regional coverage, broadcasts in Romanian and Russian.

2. Methodological framework

The full content of the main daily newscasts on each TV station was monitored, and items with a direct or an indirect election character were analyzed by content and context to determine whether they were favorable or unfavorable to a party or political entity. In addition, the items were analyzed according to the following criteria:

Impartiality and objectivity/political partisanship. According to the Journalist's Code of Ethics, news must be impartial and objective and not favor certain parties/groups/persons to the detriment of others. The presence of discriminatory elements in reports and news items is a primary criterion for subjective reporting. News screening and a minimal analysis of background and context also contribute to presenting the interests of certain actors and not of the public at large. Fairness and balance of sources/pluralism of opinion. In order to be fair and balanced, news items must present the perspectives of all parties concerned, especially when it comes to controversial subjects, and must treat opponents equally. In addition, the media must provide access to a variety of opinions to help viewers create their own opinions about what has happened. Language and images used. Deliberate exaggerations and obscene language such as pejoratives or labeling as well as images manipulated so that certain parties appear in a negative light raise serious questions about compliance with ethical and professional standards. The ethical behavior of journalists is most often questioned when images display aspects that do not correspond to reality, when they are simulated, and also when news stories are illustrated with images unrelated to the text.

3. Monitoring data

Moldova 1 Involvement in the electoral campaign Between October 5 and 11, 2019, the public television station Moldova 1 paid increased attention to the coverage of the electoral campaign. In the seven newscasts broadcast, Moldova 1 had 44 electoral materials, which appeared in two special sections: “General Local Elections 2019” and “New Parliamentary Elections 2019.” More attention was paid to local elections, in 33 materials, while only four materials were made about the new parliamentary elections. Seven other reports spoke about the following issues: the printing of the ballots; monitoring of elections from the perspective of social inclusion; the last day in which electoral competitors could withdraw from running for the position of mayor or councilor; presentation of the platform Alegeri.md; the conclusions of the monitoring reports concerning the electoral behavior of the public television station Moldova 1, made by the Broadcasting Council, the WatchDog community, and the Independent Journalism Center. Of the 33 materials that addressed the 2019 local elections, 30 covered the race for Chisinau Mayor’s Office; two reports referred to the electoral promises of two candidates for the position of mayor of Balti, Serghei Rubtov of the Party of Communists (PCRM) and Ghenadie Formanciuc of Shor Party; and one report featured a candidate for the position of mayor of the municipality of Cahul, Eugen Osadcenco of the Party of Socialists (PSRM). Moldova 1 also continued following the case of Ruslan Codreanu, who was excluded from the electoral race for the position of head of the capital after the Supreme Court of Justice admitted the appeal filed by the Central Electoral Commission and

overturned the October 8 decision of the Chisinau Court of Appeal. The reason invoked was faults in the lists of his supporters’ signatures. Impartiality and objectivity. Political partisanship The 44 materials related to elections were objective and impartial, and did not violate the standards of professional ethics. Of the 37 materials about electoral competitors, 33 focused on their electoral priorities and promises. All these news stories had the same format, presenting only the opinion of the primary source, and each of them was about 1 minute long. Thus, reporters only repeated the statements of the candidates running for elections, without completing their materials with background information. The reports showed no obvious tendency to favor any candidates. The PSRM candidate Ion Ceban had the most appearances (eight), followed by Andrei Nastase of ACUM/PPDA/PAS Bloc with seven appearances, Valeriu Munteanu of the Save Bessarabia Union (USB) with five appearances, Octavian Ticu of the Party of National Unity (PUN) with four appearances, the context being positive or neutral. Six other candidates appeared in news once or twice, most often in a neutral context. It should be noted that in the case of Ghenadie Formanciuc, the Shor Party candidate for the position of mayor of Balti municipality, his image was not presented in the news, which disadvantaged him in comparison with other electoral competitors. Fairness and balance of sources. Pluralism of opinion During the reporting period, the public television did not ensure pluralism of opinion in news on this topic. Of the 19 electoral competitors registered for the race for Chisinau Mayor’s Office, Moldova 1 granted airtime to 12, two of whom announced that they are withdrawing from the electoral race – Andrei Donica (“Speranța-Nadejda” [Hope] Movement) and Boris Volosatii (“Democracy at Home” Party). Most of the time news mentioned/cited the PSRM candidate Ion Ceban, who had eight appearances, followed by Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS Bloc) with seven appearances, Valeriu Munteanu (Save Bessarabia Union) with five appearances, Octavian Ticu (Party of National Unity (PUN)) with four appearances. Vlad Turcanu (Romanian Popular Party), Dorin Chirtoaca (Liberal Party), and Valeri Klimenko (Shor Party) had two appearances each, and Victor Chironda (“New Force” Movement), Vladimir Cebotari (Democratic Party of Moldova), and Ivan Diacov (“Our Party”) were cited/mentioned once each. The activities of the other electoral competitors fighting for the capital’s mayoral seat were not covered in reports, and their names as electoral competitors were not listed in any report either. Of the total number of electoral news stories, four referred to controversies. In three cases, the accusations from Valeriu Munteanu and Dorin Chirtoaca, Valeri Klimenko and Ivan Diacov concerned the activities of PSRM and of this party’s electoral competitor Ion Ceban, and in one case Octavian Ticu accused President Igor Dodon of “high treason.” In all four cases, the right to reply was offered, and the balance of sources was ensured. The gender ratio was clearly unfavorable to women, who were cited only once (Ana Gutu of the Party of National Unity, October 8, 2019), while men were mentioned 36 times.

The language and images used In the third week of the electoral campaign, no language discriminating or denigrating electoral competitors was used in the newscasts of the public television Moldova 1. No labels or images that did not correspond to reality were used, either.

Prime TV Involvement in the electoral campaign Between October 5 and 11, 2019, the national television station Prime TV actively covered the electoral campaign, having broadcast 29 electoral materials in its main newscasts. Most of these materials (26) appeared in the section “General Local Elections 2019.” They covered aspects of the electoral process, such as the publication of the results of a sociological survey or the withdrawal of an electoral competitor, as well as the electoral priorities/goals of the candidates registered to run for Chisinau Mayor’s Office or the accusations launched by some candidates against others. The newscasts also contained 3 materials broadcast outside the “General Local Elections 2019” section. The first two referred to the monitoring carried out by the Broadcasting Council during the electoral campaign, and the last one focused on the candidate of ACUM/PPDA/PAS Andrei Nastase, presented as “the minister relieved of office.” Impartiality and objectivity. Political partisanship For the most part, Prime TV covered the topics of electoral nature objectively and impartially, without violating professional ethics. The exception is some news about the candidate of ACUM/PPDA/PAS Andrei Nastase, made in a biased manner. For example, on October 7 the station broadcast a large news report, “The Independence Cup in football, organized under the aegis of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was fatal to a Balti head of police,” saying that one of the players was injured and mentioning several times that Andrei Nastase, the “minister relieved of office,” also participated in the event. The biased nature of this material takes the form of inappropriate use of the term ‘fatal’ and of the emphasis that Andrei Nastase was present at the event, although these specifications were irrelevant. On October 8, the topic continued in the story “A minor incident: This is how the minister of internal affairs Andrei Nastase, who has been relieved of office, described the serious injury of the policeman Vitalie Spatari at a football match for the Independence Cup.” In the story, Andrei Nastase says that “... people clash with each other at a football game ... there was a minor incident at that stage.” However, subtitles throughout the story carried only the text “minor incident.” From a disadvantageous perspective Andrei Nastase is also presented in the material about the results of the survey conducted by SBS-Axa, broadcast on October 7. At the beginning of the report, it was announced that “... the candidate of ACUM Andrei Nastase is no longer in the top of voters’ preferences for the seat of the capital’s mayor.” Usually, the term ‘top’ is used for at least the first three positions/places in a ranking. According to the survey data, the candidate of ACUM/PPDA/PAS Andrei Nastase is in second place. Even though Andrei Nastase, according to the poll, came after the PSRM candidate Ion Ceban, he still was in the top. Another news story about the electoral objectives of the ACUM/PPDA/PAS candidate Andrei Nastase (revival of public transport), released on October 8, was completed with the following details: “… Nastase had previously proposed an unusual solution to the problem of traffic jams in Chisinau. He was saying that the working hours of public

institutions should start at 7 a.m. … Nastase claimed at that point that he knew from personal experience that the city is much freer at this time, because he goes to work at an earlier hour. When Nastase worked as minister of internal affairs, our reporter went one morning to see what time he was leaving the house, and he found that Andrei Nastase went to work at about 8 a.m.” It is a biased comparison, since Andrei Nastase formulated the previous proposal, which is mentioned in the news, in a live on Facebook when he was minister, and it was not a goal in his electoral program. To sum up, during the reporting period Prime TV did not appear to intend to favor any particular competitor. The candidates were covered in a neutral manner, with the exception of the ACUM/PPDA/PAS candidate Andrei Nastase, whom the station clearly tended to disadvantage or to present in a negative context. Fairness and balance of sources. Pluralism of opinion During the reporting period, Prime TV cited and/or mentioned in newscasts several candidates for the general local elections, as follows: Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS) – 12 times; Ion Ceban (PSRM) – 7 times; Dorin Chirtoaca (PL) – 5 times; Vladimir Cebotari (PDM), Valeriu Munteanu (USB), Octavian Ticu (PUN) – 4 times each; Dumitru Tira (PPEM) – 3 times; Vladimir Turcanu (PPR), Teodor Cirnat (“People’s Will” Party), Ivan Diacov (PN) – twice each. The other candidates were mentioned once each. Of the 11 controversial news stories broadcast by Prime TV, three were unbalanced and all focused on the ACUM/PPDA/PAS candidate Andrei Nastase. In two stories, on October 7 and 10, it is said that “Andrei Nastase did not answer the phone,” and in one story on October 8, “The Chisinau Court of Appeal decision validating Andrei Nastase’s mandate of mayor is pathetic,” it is not said whether he was or not telephoned or whether he somehow commented on some of the allegations against him. Most of the sources in the news stories broadcast by Prime TV were men (65), while the number of women was 15. So, women were cited four times less often than men. The language and images used Overall, the language and images used in Prime TV newscasts were in line with professional ethics and had no discriminatory elements.

Publika TV Involvement in the electoral campaign Between October 5 and 11, 2019, the television station Publika TV broadcast 24 electoral materials in its main daily newscast. Twenty-one stories appeared in the section “General Local Elections 2019,” and three stories – outside it. On October 6 and 11, the station did not broadcast the electoral section. At the same time, on October 11 the newscast had three stories referring to the elections. Only three of all the news stories broadcast focused on the electoral promises of candidates, while the rest were neutral stories about the voting process and other aspects related to election, such as printing of ballots, opinion polls, candidates’ property, withdrawal of some candidates from the electoral race, as well as stories about negative issues, such as accusations among candidates.

Impartiality and objectivity. Political partisanship In the reporting period, Publika TV informed only about the electoral promises of the candidates Vlad Turcanu (PPR) and Victor Chironda (F9). Another story presented the electoral plans of Andrei Nastase for public transport, which were presented, however, in a biased manner, while the other candidates were presented neutrally. He appeared in five news stories in a negative context and in four in neutral context (stories about the opinion poll, about the withdrawal of Andrei Donica from the electoral race, about the properties of all candidates). It should be noted that even when topics were apparently neutral or positive, the approach was still biased or pejorative. Example 1: When reporting that Andrei Donica is withdrawing from the race in favor of Andrei Nastase (October 8), Publika reminded that Donica had received a one-year suspended prison sentence for having sprayed the former minister of finance Octavian Armasu with milk as a sign of protest. This led to the candidate of ACUM/PPDA/PAS being associated with a condemned person. Example 2: On the same day, October 8, the station reported that Andrei Nastase is planning to buy, if he becomes mayor, electric buses and “will insist on building a trolleybus route.” Reporters used a slightly pejorative headline, “Great plans,” and in the body of the report they said that “the candidate boasted of a pilot project, which he had implemented as the minister of internal affairs.” They added then that Nastase also had previously come up with a proposal for improving road traffic in the capital, i.e. to start the working day at 7 a.m., and the Publika TV reporter discovered that Nastase one day came to work at about 8 a.m. The topic about the annulment in May of the decision invalidating the local elections in Chisinau was presented in a similar manner. The headline of the screen said, “The ‘climate’ is changing in autumn,” alluding to the name of the judge who issued the decision restoring Andrei Nastase into the position of mayor and suggesting he did it under pressure. Vladimir Cebotari of PDM and Ion Ceban of PSRM were the protagonists of four materials, mostly cited/mentioned in a neutral context, and the other electoral competitors were covered in neutral news stories. In conclusion, Publika TV did not clearly favor any candidate for the position of mayor of Chisinau, while the candidate of ACUM/PPDA/PAS Andrei Nastase was disfavored by means of biased presentation and selection of topics concerning him. Fairness and balance of sources. Pluralism of opinion The station named all candidates (19 at that moment) in one news report, speaking about the properties they had declared (October 7). Otherwise, newscasts presented Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS) 9 times; Vladimir Cebotari (PDM) and Ion Ceban (PSRM) – 4 times each; Valeriu Munteanu (Save Bessarabia Union) and Octavian Ticu (PUN) – 3 times each; Vlad Turcanu (PPR), Dorin Chirtoaca (PL), and Victor Chironda (“New Force” Movement) – twice each; non-registered independent candidate Ruslan Codreanu – twice in a neutral context. Publika TV did not speak of other candidates in this period, except in the report about the candidates’ properties. News about conflicts referred to the following issues: the ACUM/PPDA/PAS candidate Andrei Nastase being obliged to destroy leaflets with the image of Stephan the Great; candidates Valeriu Munteanu (USB) and Dorin Chirtoaca (PL) accusing Ion Ceban (PSRM) and Andrei Nastase; illegal placement of an electoral advertising board of ACUM/PPDA/PAS; non-registered independent candidate Ruslan Codreanu accusing the Central Electoral Commission; and so on. 7

In 13 news stories on conflicts, reporters ensured balance of sources (although in some cases the balance was only nominal), and one story was unbalanced, containing an accusation without reaction (Dumitru Alaiba MP was called “the leader of trolls in the period of PLDM government,” October 10). It should be noted that seven of the 14 news stories on conflicts contained accusations against Andrei Nastase and other candidates of ACUM. Examples: the story of October 7 in which Dorin Chirtoaca calls Nastase unprofessional and manipulator; the story of October 8 about an electoral advertising board of ACUM/PPDA/PAS which was hanging on power lines in the Dumbrava village of Truseni commune; the story of October 10 about Oleg Cernei, the candidate of ACUM in Pepeni village of Singerei district, accused by the kindergarten director of allegedly assaulting her; the story of October 11, in which the PDM leader Pavel Filip accuses the government of pressure on his party’s candidates and urging the latter not to have fear; and so on. In terms of number of materials, the station tended to choose conflict topics concerning ACUM/PPDA/PAS. Two stories on conflicts concerned PSRM and its candidate: Valeriu Munteanu accused Ion Ceban of not declaring all the funding he receives for the electoral campaign (October 7), and Octavian Ticu asked for investigation to be carried out against Igor Dodon for “high treason” (October 11). The ratio of sources in terms of gender was net in favor of men (36 male sources v. seven female sources). The language and images used The language used by Publika TV in news stories about the electoral process and about the majority of candidates registered for elections was overall neutral. The images used were in most cases in accordance with the message of the texts. However, in one case there was short unjustified focus on the PDM signage: in the story of October 8 about the start of printing of ballots, the images showed a ballot for the positions of councilors in Hincesti. The camera was focused to show the PDM sign in the ballot on the foreground.

Jurnal TV Involvement in the electoral campaign Between October 5 and 11, 2019, the television station Jurnal TV broadcast 44 news reports of electoral nature: 39 of them appeared in the special section “Local Elections 2019,” and five – outside this section. In addition to news about the campaign activities of candidates, the station informed about the Government declaration prohibiting electoral activities during working hours in public institutions; about the new round of Parliamentary Commission hearings to investigate the “seizure of power” with involvement of the PDM candidate Vladimir Cebotari; about the start of printing of ballots; about the challenges of persons with disabilities during the voting process; and about the Central Electoral Commission announcement that October 12 is the last day when competitors can withdraw from elections. Thirty-six news reports referred to the electoral campaign in Chisinau municipality; two concerned the electoral race and/or candidates for the position of mayor of Balti municipality; and one report was about the electoral campaign for the Orhei Mayor’s Office. Jurnal TV did not broadcast any news about the campaign for new parliamentary elections.

Impartiality and objectivity. Political partisanship Jurnal TV covered in detail the electoral campaign and the competitors who participate in the campaign, and included stories about all electoral events of the day into the special section. Jurnal TV reported on the majority of candidates and political parties in an objective and neutral manner. However, in terms of number of materials, the station showed preference for Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS), who appeared in eight news stories, at least one story in each newscast in this period. At the same time, Andrei Nastase was often presented as a candidate who “will apply the best practices from Romania” and “assured voters that he has the support of partners from abroad” (“Andrei Nastase urges people to vote,” October 7), while about other candidates it was said they “claim to have solutions” (Vladimir Cebotari, PDM), “promise to do if they become mayor” (Valeriu Munteanu, USB), “are planning” (Ivan Diacov, PN). Of the candidates in local elections outside Chisinau, Jurnal TV presented Renato Usatii, PPPN candidate for Balti Mayor’s Office, in two materials about his visit to Cahul and Cantemir, where he presented other PPPN candidates, and about his meeting with voters in Russia. Another news story, which had a rather negative context, concerned Pavel Verejan, the candidate of Shor Party for Orhei Mayor’s Office. Fairness and balance of sources. Pluralism of opinion In the reporting period, Jurnal TV covered in detail the electoral campaign and the electoral competitors, ensuring that all candidates for the general local elections in Chisinau were present in news. Of the 19 competitors registered for the campaign, ten had more access to news, while the others were mentioned only once. Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS) appeared the most often, in 8 stories; Ion Ceban (PSRM) – in 5 stories; Dorin Chirtoaca (PL), Victor Chironda (F9), Valeriu Munteanu (USB) – in 4 stories each; Vlad Turcanu (PPR), Vladimir Cebotari (PDM), Ivan Diacov (PPPN), Octavian Ticu (PUN) – in 3 stories each; Boris Volosatii (PDA), Teodor Cirnat (PFP), Vitalie Marinuta (PEV) – in 2 stories each. Other candidates for Chisinau Mayor’s Office were mentioned at least once. The majority of electoral materials were inspired from one source, usually candidates in elections, who presented their electoral programs. In the reporting period, Jurnal TV broadcast two news stories about conflicts. One of these appeared in the electoral section and the other outside it. The one outside the electoral section, “The mayor’s office allocates funds to maintain OrheiLand” (October 7), concerned Pavel Verejan, the Shor Party candidate for Orhei Mayor’s Office. The other story was about Dorin Chirtoaca accusing Andrei Nastase and Ion Ceban of hiding and not wanting to accept electoral debates with him (“Calling opponents to debates,” October 7). In both cases Jurnal TV ensured the right to reply of the parties concerned. The majority of sources in Jurnal TV news were men (46), while women were present in only four materials. The language and images used In electoral news, Jurnal TV used a neutral, informative, and unbiased language for all electoral competitors. Manipulation by means of images or editing tricks were not found, either.

NTV Moldova Involvement in the electoral campaign Between October 5 and 11, 2019, NTV Moldova broadcast 27 electoral topics in the main newscasts of the day. Electoral news appeared both in the section “General Local Elections 2019” (22 materials) and outside it (5 materials). Within the special section, the station covered the activities of electoral competitors and the results of two opinion polls on voters’ preferences. One material on the electoral process remained outside this section (October 10, when the Central Electoral Commission announced that October 12 is the last day when candidates can withdraw from elections or modify electoral lists). Four materials referred to the activities of the Socialist municipal councilors, and one – to the verbal exchange between a Socialist MP and a candidate for the position of mayor of Balti municipality (Bogdan Tirdea versus Renato Usatii). All electoral news stories referred to the general local elections, and none to the new parliamentary elections. Impartiality and objectivity. Political partisanship NTV Moldova presented materials concerning the electoral process and the participation of the majority of candidates in the campaign neutrally. Exceptions are the materials with the presence of PSRM representatives in the campaign for general local elections, who, in most cases, were favored either by means of favorable language or by selection of exclusively positive information. Thus, Ion Ceban, the PSRM candidate for the position of mayor of Chisinau municipality, was favored both by large number of news stories in which he appeared (7) and by the usually positive context. The bias towards Ion Ceban also was obvious given the laudatory language used in relation to him. For example, when presenting the data of the two opinion polls that appeared during the reporting period, NTV Moldova used the word ‘favorite’ in relation to Ion Ceban, and one of the news stories was titled “The popularity of Ion Ceban grows” (October 11). In addition, all electoral actions of the Socialist candidate were presented in an exclusively positive context, without questioning his statements, while the promises of other candidates were presented through a critical filter. In relation to Ion Ceban NTV Moldova has always used firm affirmative headlines, such as “Ion Ceban: I will refurbish green areas,” “We will provide suburbs with gas,” “Solutions for the problems with housing,” and so on. The language used for the other candidates was neutral, with terms such as promises, wants, aims, is based on, and so on. At the same time, NTV Moldova included into the special section dedicated to the elections two large materials (about 5 minutes each), on October 7 and 8, about the meetings of the PSRM representatives with voters in Floresti and Basarabeasca districts, presenting this party’s candidates for the positions of mayor in these localities, as well as the general program of the PSRM. By airing footage from these events, presenting details and placing the PSRM representatives in an exclusively positive context, the station favored the Socialist candidates. Similarly, on October 8, 10, and 11, NTV Moldova broadcast, outside the special section on elections, a material about the opening of playgrounds and the start of repairs of a street in Chisinau, mentioning that these events are due exclusively to Socialist municipal councilors. PSRM representatives appeared every time in images and were directly cited.

Fairness and balance of sources. Pluralism of opinion Most often, news stories about electoral competitors other than PSRM representatives were based on a single source. Materials that targeted PSRM candidates for mayor’s or councilors’ offices cited several sources. NTV Moldova mentioned and/or cited in direct electoral news stories in the monitored period all candidates for the position of general mayor of Chisinau municipality, including those who withdrew from the electoral race. Candidates appeared in electoral materials, being cited and/or mentioned, as follows: Ion Ceban (PSRM) – 7 times; Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS) and Dorin Chirtoaca (PL) – 6 times each; Octavian Ticu (PUN) – 4 times; Vladimir Cebotari (PDM) and Vlad Turcanu (PPR) – 3 times each; Victor Chironda (New Force Movement (F9)), Valeriu Munteanu (USB), Teodor Cirnat (“People’s Will” Party), Valerii Klimenko (Shor Party), Vitalii Voznoi (“European Left” Party), Dumitru Tira (PPEM), Lilia Ranogaet (PNL), Vitalie Marinuta (Green Ecologist Party), Alexandru Fetescu (PLDM), Ivan Diacov (PN), Serghei Toma (PUM) – twice each; and Boris Volosatii (PDA), Andrei Donica (“Speranța-Nadejda” [Hope] Movement), and Ruslan Codreanu (independent candidate) – once each. One indirect electoral news story presented the candidate for mayor of Balti Renato Usatii (PN). Another news story also targeted PSRM candidates Iurie Gangan and Piotr Puscari for the positions of mayor of Floresti and Basarabeasca, respectively. Of all direct and indirect electoral materials, three were of conflictual nature, including one in which Octavian Ticu (PUN) accused Dorin Chirtoaca (PL) of the chaos in Chisinau; one in which Vlad Turcanu (PPR) refers to a former interim mayor who allegedly had the sidewalks on a street in the capital poorly repaired, without, however, giving his name; and one in which the Socialist MP Bogdan Tirdea and the PN candidate for Balti Mayor’s Office Renato Usatii had a verbal exchange, and the MP mentioned the management of Balti municipality. In the first case, Dorin Chirtoaca's opinion is missing from the journalistic material, and it is not mentioned whether he had been contacted for a reaction. In the latter case, both parties involved in the conflict were presented. The ratio of sources in terms of gender was in favor of men (37 versus 17). The language and images used The language used by NTV Moldova in news about the electoral process and about the majority of candidates for the position of mayor was relatively neutral. The images that accompanied direct electoral materials were in line with professional ethics.

Pro TV Chisinau Involvement in the electoral campaign Between October 5 and 11, Pro TV Chisinau released 29 materials about the electoral campaign for general local elections. They did not appear in a special section, being distributed throughout the newscasts. These materials covered the evolution of the electoral campaign for general local elections, campaign events, but also the accusations against some candidates (concerning the electoral advertising boards of the PSRM candidate Ion Ceban and the leaflets of the ACUM/PPDA/PAS candidate Andrei Nastase). The station also informed about the court decision in the case of Ruslan Codreanu, who had not been registered to run for Chisinau Mayor’s Office.

Of the 29 materials broadcast, two were of indirect electoral nature. One of them cited the PL candidate Dorin Chirtoaca, presented as “the former mayor.” The second one had the PUN candidate Octavian Ticu as the source, who called for the head of state to be investigated for “high treason.” Newscasts also contained four short reports about the electoral debates organized by Pro TV Chisinau and the candidates who participated in them the day before. Impartiality and objectivity. Political partisanship Materials of direct or indirect electoral nature were fair, objective, and impartial, and showed no preferential attitude to any electoral competitor. The only news story in which one of the candidates appeared in positive light was the one about the visit of the ACUM/PPDA/PAS candidate Andrei Nastase to the city hall on October 10, after the court validated his term as mayor. The material contained footage of the current interim mayor giving Andrei Nastase a bouquet of roses, and the latter asking about the situation in the mayor’s office (“Please have a seat… Mr. Vasile, what is the situation with authorizations for protests?"). Subsequently, Nastase divided the roses to the female workers at the city hall and hugged some of them. The material said that “... Nastase says that today’s visit has nothing to do with the elections. …‘All kinds of interpretations, whether I entered or not … People, let’s be simple and sincere ….’” The material ended with the opinion of a worker about Nastase’s visit, saying it was “very nice.” Fairness and balance of sources. Pluralism of opinion The most cited and/or mentioned electoral competitors were Valeriu Munteanu (USB) and Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS) – 9 times each; Ion Ceban (PSRM), Dorin Chirtoaca (PL) – 8 times each; Vladimir Cebotari (PDM) – 6 times; Octavian Ticu (PUN) and Boris Volosatii – 5 times each; Ivan Diacov (PN) – 4 times. The other electoral competitors were named 3 times in three news stories. Pro TV had nine controversial news stories of direct or indirect electoral nature, two of which were unbalanced. The story about one of the electoral goals of the USB candidate Valeriu Munteanu, who had a press conference in a basement and was asked why he organized it there, mentioned that “Andrei Nastase and Ion Ceban have conferences in nice heated rooms, with proper lighting. They are presented in very good light there. The reality in Chisinau is what you see ….” The material, broadcast on October 5, did not say whether Andrei Nastase and Ion Ceban had been contacted to comment on this accusation. Another news story of indirect electoral nature, in which the balance of sources was not ensured, referred to Octavian Ticu (PUN) accusing Igor Dodon: “In accordance with the agreement signed with ACUM, I am launching a legislative initiative to investigate the high treason committed by Igor Dodon.” The story only mentioned that “neither the representatives of ACUM nor the ones of the presidential administration replied to the MP’s statement,” and reporters did not make the effort to find out their opinion. It should be noted that Octavian Ticu is presented in this story both as “candidate of PUN” and as “Member of Parliament.” The majority of sources in news on Pro TV were men (34), while women were cited three times.

The language and images used In news on the electoral campaign, Pro TV used a neutral language, characteristic to news. The images used were in line with professional ethics.

TV8 Involvement in the electoral campaign Between October 5 and 11, 2019, TV8 broadcast 25 electoral materials in the main daily newscasts. Electoral news stories appeared both in the section “Elections 2019” (22 materials) and outside it (3 materials). The station covered the activities of electoral competitors and the results of two opinion polls regarding voters’ preferences. Two materials regarding the electoral process appeared outside this section (about warnings from the government to officials not to use administrative resources and not to participate in electoral meetings during working hours, and about the printing of ballots). Also, the story about the validation of Andrei Nastase's mandate, which he had won last year, appeared first in the newscast of October 8, outside the special section. All electoral news referred to the general local elections, and none to the new parliamentary elections. Impartiality and objectivity. Political partisanship TV8 covered the electoral process and the campaigning activities of the candidates presented in news in a neutral manner. The station did not openly favor or disfavor any electoral competitor. Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS), Ion Ceban (PSRM), Dorin Chirtoaca (PL), and Octavian Ticu (PUN) appeared the most often – 13, 11, 9, and 8 times, in a rather neutral context. However, journalists repeatedly resorted to irony and comments when presenting electoral events. For example, in the story about the results of an opinion poll on voters’ preferences, released on October 7, the percentage of those who would support Ion Ceban to become mayor of the capital was presented as follows: “Support for the Socialist has grown in leaps and bounds.” In another story, about the validation of Andrei Nastase’s last year’s mandate (October 9), the following statement was made: “Netizens made the best of a bad business, filling social networks with irony and jokes.” This statement, however, was not confirmed later by evidence. Another example is that of a story of October 10, presented as follows: “With the photographer after him, Andrei Nastase went through Chisinau City Hall, where he was met with flowers and applause ..., then he started sharing roses to women in the room.” Such expressions could be avoided for greater accuracy, impartiality, and linguistic objectivity, especially in the context of an electoral campaign. Fairness and balance of sources. Pluralism of opinion TV8 mentioned and/or cited in the electoral materials broadcast during the monitored period all the candidates for the position of general mayor of Chisinau municipality, including those who withdrew meanwhile from the electoral race, but also one unregistered candidate. Also, one news story concerned some candidates for the position of municipal councilor representing the PCRM, and in another one the station presented a vox pop about the elections of October 20. Of all materials of direct or indirect electoral nature, six concerned conflicts and, in all cases, the opinions of all parties involved in the conflict were presented in the materials.

Candidates appeared in electoral materials, being cited and/or mentioned, as follows: Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS) – 13 times; Ion Ceban (PSRM) – 11 times; Dorin Chirtoaca (PL) – 9 times; Octavian Ticu (PUN) – 8 times; Valeriu Munteanu (USB) – 6 times; Valeri Klimenko (Shor Party) – 5 times; Vladimir Cebotari (PDM), Vladimir Turcanu (PPR), Victor Chironda (“New Force” Movement (F9)), Ivan Diacov (PN), and Boris Volosatii (PDA) – 4 times each; Teodor Cirnat (“People’s Will”), Vitalii Voznoi (Left European Party), Dumitru Tira (PPEM), Lilia Ranogaet (PNL), Vitalie Marinuta (Green Ecologist Party), Alexandru Fetescu (PLDM), Serghei Toma (PUM), and Andrei Donica (“Speranța-Nadejda” [Hope] Movement) – 3 times each. In addition, one electoral material presented Communist candidates for the position of municipal councilors, without mentioning their names. The ratio of sources in terms of gender was net in favor of men (56 versus 10 women). The language and images used The language used by TV8 in news about the electoral process and about candidates for the position of mayor was overall neutral, and no one was denigrated or discriminated against. The images that accompanied direct electoral materials were in line with professional ethics.

Accent TV Involvement in the electoral campaign In the third week of the electoral campaign, Accent TV broadcast in the Russian- language newscast at 20:00, Accent Info, 13 news materials, nine of which appeared in the permanent section “General Local Elections 2019” and four – outside it. All 13 news items informed the public about the local general elections 2019. In six stories the station informed about the local elections in the capital, five of them being dedicated to the PSRM candidate for the position of general mayor, Ion Ceban. Six other news items targeted PSRM competitors in various localities of the country, and one news item referred to other candidates for the position of mayor of Chisinau. Impartiality and objectivity. Political partisanship Many of the materials were clearly biased, the station tending to promote PSRM candidates in general local elections. Most relevant materials favored the PSRM candidate for the position of mayor general of the capital, Ion Ceban. Of the nine news stories in the section “General Local Elections 2019,” five presented Ion Ceban, who appeared in a positive context, with various electoral promises (October 7, 8, 9 (two stories), and October 11). The main daily newscasts contained outside this section news stories indirectly related to elections, which promoted the representatives of the PSRM who act as municipal councilors. A laudatory news story in favor of the PSRM, which emphasized the “prodigious” activity of the Socialist municipal councilors, appeared on October 11, 2019. The story was biased and made hidden advertising in favor of the PSRM councilors and representatives. The footage showed the municipal councilors Adrian Lebedinschi and Eugenia Ceban, who provided a playground for children with special needs at an institution. In his speech, Lebedinschi noted that Eugenia Ceban (Ion Ceban’s mother) played an important role in arranging this playground.

In a news story on October 7, 2019, titled “Warm meetings with citizens,” Accent TV informed the public about the visit of Zinaida Greceanii, PSRM president, to Floresti, Singerei, and Basarabeasca districts. In front of the crowd, Zinaida Greceanii spoke to the residents of these districts about supporting the PSRM candidates for mayoral positions. It should be noted that Accent TV presented and promoted only the PSRM candidates for the positions of mayors and councilors in Chisinau and in other localities of the country, totally neglecting the candidates of other political groups. For example, in the story on October 10, about the visit of Zinaida Greceanii to Calarasi district, only this party’s candidates for the mayors’ offices in Calarasi district were mentioned, the others being omitted. Within five days, there was only one news story, on October 11, that mentioned candidates for the position of general mayor of Chisinau that represented other political groups: Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS), Octavian Ticu (PUN), Dorin Chirtoaca (PL), Valeriu Munteanu (Save Bessarabia Union), Ivan Diacov (PN), Vladimir Cebotari (PDM), and Valerii Klimenko (Shor Party). Thus, the public watching Accent TV was not properly and impartially informed about all candidates for the position of general mayor of Chisinau. In addition, Accent TV showed bias towards Renato Usatii, the PN candidate for the position of mayor of Balti. He was presented in two materials, both regarding insinuations and accusations against him. Fairness and balance of sources. Pluralism of opinion As a rule, the news stories in the section “General Local Elections 2019” were based on a single source, and did not ensure pluralism of opinion. In the week of October 5 to 11, Accent TV broadcast two materials on conflicts, and in both it failed to ensure the right to reply to the person targeted. Thus, in the newscasts of October 7 and 9, there were two news stories with open accusations against the candidate for the position of mayor of Balti, Renato Usatii (PN). One story referred only to sources from the Russian Federation, who accused Usatii of involvement in various illegal affairs. The story is biased and degrading to an electoral competitor. The other unbalanced story also presented the candidate for mayor of Balti, Renato Usatii, in an unfavorable light. The news is based on statements by Bogdan Tirdea (PSRM member), who attacked Usatii after he paid a visit to Moscow. The station ensured relative gender balance in news, with 29/14 ratio of male and female sources. It is the best indicator among the monitored stations, and it is due to the presence in news of citizens who participated in meetings with voters. The language and images used During the reporting period, Accent TV had two cases of inappropriate use of images. Thus, in a story on October 8, about the printing of ballots for the general local elections, an image of a ballot was shown, which contained the abbreviation of PSRM and its symbol, followed by the image of the entire ballot. Another story, on October 10, regarding the Central Electoral Commission warning regarding the need to comply with the legal provisions in the 2019 general local elections, had in the foreground footage from earlier manifestations of the Socialists, who carried red-colored flags and banners. Thus, certain messages are transmitted to viewers through images, which could distort the meaning of the news.

RTR Moldova Involvement in the electoral campaign Between October 5 and 11, 2019, RTR Moldova broadcast 27 electoral materials in five main daily newscasts (the station has no weekend newscasts). Of these, seven appeared outside the section “Elections 2019” and referred to the printing of ballots, the procedure of voting at home, the Government’s appeal not to use administrative resources, and so on. The station also attempted to cover the activities of most of the candidates in Chisinau. In addition to the news about the general local elections, RTR Moldova had three news items that referred to the candidates in the parliamentary elections. The station avoided topics related to conflicts, with journalists focusing on transmitting electoral statements of candidates and parties, without critically approaching them. Impartiality and objectivity. Political partisanship In terms of number of materials, the Socialist candidate for Chisinau Mayor’s Office Ion Ceban was the most favored by RTR Moldova. He appeared four times in a positive context with electoral promises (plans for suburbs, plans for municipal companies, plans for green spaces), and once in a neutral-positive context (commenting on the decision to withdraw his electoral advertising boards with the image of Stephan the Great). A case of biased approach was found in the coverage of an electoral event of Shor Party held in Orhei (October 7). The authors made an extensive report from the forum in which the party leader Ilan Shor gave a live speech in the video conferencing regime. The journalists did not critically approach this fact, despite Ilan Shor being prosecuted and sought by the law enforcement bodies of Moldova. It was not specified why he could not be present, where the broadcast took place, and so on. Instead, it was said that “hundreds of party supporters who came to the forum support its initiatives.” RTR Moldova produced the other materials about the electoral process and the candidates’ participation in the campaign in a neutral and impartial manner. Fairness and balance of sources. Pluralism of opinion RTR Moldova provided access in news to ten candidates for the position of mayor general of Chisinau: Ion Ceban (PSRM) appeared in 4 stories; Alexandru Fetescu (PLDM), Vlad Turcanu (PPR), Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS), Vladimir Cebotari (PDM), Valeriu Munteanu (Save Bessarabia Union), Vitalie Marinuta (Green Ecologist Party), Dumitru Tira (PPEM), Ion Diacov (PPPN), and Victor Chironda (“New Force” Movement) were cited/mentioned once or twice each. The station also mentioned a candidate for Orhei Mayor’s Office (Pavel Verejan of Shor Party) and three candidates for the parliament – Vitalia Pavlicenco (PNL), Tudor Deliu (PLDM), and Veaceslav Nedelea (PDM), once or twice each. Candidates were presented with fragments from public speeches made at press conferences, public events, interviews for other media outlets, or on Facebook. Of the 27 news stories broadcast, only two referred to controversies: in one the Socialist Bogdan Tirdea replied to Renato Usatii (PN), who had earlier accused the PSRM of spreading some untrue information (October 9); and in another one “Our Party” accused PSRM of indicating in the financial reports submitted to the Central Electoral Commission much lower prices for advertising boards (October 10). In both

cases, the balance of sources was respected. News stories about the candidates’ promises were based on a single source. The ratio of sources in terms of gender was net in favor of men (21 versus five women). The language and images used The language used by RTR Moldova in news about the electoral process and about candidates for the position of mayor or member of parliament was neutral, informative, without value judgments or labels. Editing tricks were not found.

Televiziunea Centrală Involvement in the electoral campaign Between October 5 and 11, 2019, Televiziunea Centrală broadcast 36 materials of direct or indirect electoral nature. Of these, 34 referred to the campaign for local elections, one – to the new parliamentary elections (“Codreanu supports Tudor Deliu”), and one had a general context and was about Shor Party’s MPs meeting with some European officials, in which parliamentarians expressed their views on some electoral issues. Twenty-five news stories covered the campaign and electoral competitors for Chisinau Mayor’s Office, and eight stories were with and about the electoral candidates participating in local elections for different localities in Orhei district (Jora de Mijloc commune and Orhei municipality). Almost all relevant news stories appeared in the electoral section, except for the one about the activities of the Parliamentary Commission investigating the attempted “seizure of power,” which concerned the PDM candidate Vladimir Cebotari. The relevant materials concerned the statements made by electoral competitors at press conferences; the events where they presented their electoral priorities and solutions to some of the problems faced by the inhabitants of Chisinau and Orhei municipalities; the candidates’ withdrawal from the electoral race; details and information about the electoral campaign and electoral process. Great importance was given to the news regarding the electoral campaign in Jora de Mijloc, Orhei district (four news stories). Impartiality and objectivity. Political partisanship In electoral materials, Televiziunea Centrală often presented information in a tendentious and biased manner. In the stories of direct electoral nature, the candidates of the Shor Party, Valeri Klimenco (for Chisinau municipality), Pavel Verejanu (for Orhei municipality), Serghei Labliuc (for Jora de Mijloc commune), benefited from more airtime than their counter-candidates, and their interventions were direct, while many others were either paraphrased or included with statements taken from social networks. The three candidates of the Shor Party were presented as follows: Pavel Verejanu – in 4 news items; Valerii Klimenko and Sergei Labliuc – in 3 items each. The Shor Party and its candidates benefited from positive coverage in terms of how the text was build: “The room was full and the leader addressed the audience through video and was greeted with ovations” (“Shor: I promised that I will transform the city of Orhei, I promise that I will transform the district of Orhei, too,” October 7); “The experience of Orhei municipality will extend to the whole Orhei district. The President of the Shor Party, Ilan Shor, said so at a new meeting with the candidates for the Orhei 17

Municipal Council and the candidate for the mayor of the municipality Pavel Verejanu” (October 8); “Orhei has developed without financial support from others. We did it ourselves and we are proud of it. This is what Pavel Verejanu spoke about” (“They wish to come to government when everything is set and to govern from loans,” October 9). At the same time, Televiziunea Centrală mentioned only the Shor Party candidates’ position in the ballots, for example: “Valeri Klimenco will be in the ballots under number 4” (“Valeri Klimenco said that PSRM doesn’t keep promises and lies to citizens,” October 9). Also, the stories which cited/mentioned Shor Party MPs registered to run for councilor positions – Marina Tauber, Reghina Apostolova, Vadim Fotescu (three materials) – were biased, with the positive attitude towards them being obvious. On the other hand, Televiziunea Centrală presented in negative light the ACUM/PPDA/PAS candidate Andrei Nastase, who was targeted in nine materials: in seven he appeared in an exclusively negative light, and in two – relatively neutral: “Nastase violated the electoral code” (October 7); “City comfort on other people’s money” – the story about Andrei Nastase presenting his plan for the reconstruction of Chisinau (October 8); “He came to say that he is leaving ... Nastase showed up at the city hall on Thursday only to announce that for the electoral campaign he is resigning from the position of mayor” (“Mayor for five minutes,” October 9). At the same time, in almost all stories, the journalists of Televiziunea Centrală only said they had called Andrei Nastase, but he did not answer the phone. The PSRM candidate Ion Ceban was the subject of news in five cases. For the most part, this candidate was presented in a neutral context. However, there were some elements of him being presented in a negative manner: most of the time, Ceban was either paraphrased or quoted from social networks. In almost every news story about Ceban (four of the five), Televiziunea Centrală either insisted that some candidates demand his exclusion from the electoral race (Valeriu Munteanu, Dorin Chirtoaca), or repeated the information according to which he was forced to exclude some elements – prohibited by law – from his electoral materials. Other candidates were presented in the news as follows: Dorin Chirtoaca (PL) – 4 times; Valeriu Munteanu (USB), Octavian Ticu (PUN) – 3 times each; Vladimir Cebotari (PDM), Victor Chironda (F9) – 2 times each; Ivan Diacov (PN), Boris Volosatii (PDA), and Andrei Donica – once each. For the most part, everyone was presented neutrally. Fairness and balance of sources. Pluralism of opinion Most of the electoral materials broadcast by Televiziunea Centrală were simple news, and 11 materials contained elements of conflict nature. Almost all of these referred to or targeted the candidates of ACUM/PPDA/PAS and/or PSRM (nine total). In only two cases, the journalists of Televiziunea Centrală included the direct statements of the targeted persons. In seven stories, the targeted persons were paraphrased or it was mentioned that they “did not comment” or – most of the time – “did not respond to the phone to comment on the situation” (“Nastase violated the electoral code,” October 7; “Chirtoaca calls Nastase and Ceban to debates,” October 7), or “the telephone was disconnected” (“Octavian Ticu asks Igor Dodon to be subjected to criminal investigation for high treason,” October 11). In two cases, the persons targeted or accused were not offered to reply. Thus, in the story about the Shor Party MPs who met with European officials, Marina Tauber accused the ruling parties of intimidation and pressure against the Shor Party 18

candidates, but the journalists did not ask the persons targeted/accused for an opinion (“Shor Party MPs had meetings with European officials,” October 11). The second story that did not include the reply of the person targeted/accused was the one in which Andrei Nastase visited the city hall, immediately after the Court of Appeal validated his mayoral mandate won at last year’s elections. In this story, the journalists of Televiziunea Centrală included the opinions of experts and electoral candidates about this decision and visit, which were either ironic or accusatory, but the person targeted – Andrei Nastase – was not offered to reply to these statements: “Expert Corneliu Ciurea says that this decision is politically influenced and is to Nastase’s advantage ... Octavian Ticu also commented on the decision, mentioning the ‘Nastase-Dodon binomial’... Dorin Chirtoaca says that this decision is to Andrei Nastase’s advantage” (“Electoral candidates’ reaction to the decision of the Court of Appeal,” October 9). The sources cited and/or inserted by Televiziunea Centrală were mostly men (51), while women were cited ten times. The language and images used Televiziunea Centrală did not use discriminatory language to speak about electoral competitors in its news reports. The images used were usually neutral and in line with professional ethics.

GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

In the period of October 5 to 11, 2019, the following trends in covering the electoral campaign were noticed: • In general, a large part of TV stations offered relatively equal access to candidates in elections, who were protagonists of separate news reports or were mentioned in electoral news; • The majority of electoral materials were based on a single source of information, without ensuring pluralism of opinion or addressing topics in depth; • The absolute majority of relevant materials were unbalanced in terms of gender balance, with men being cited the most often; • Some of the monitored stations were biased, favoring or disfavoring certain electoral competitors; In particular: • The public television Moldova 1 did not ensure pluralism of opinion, having offered access in news to about half of electoral competitors, without clearly favoring or disfavoring any of them; • Prime TV and Publika TV covered the activities of the majority of electoral competitors in a neutral manner, except the activities of the ACUM/PPDA/PAS candidate Andrei Nastase, who was disfavored by means of selecting information in a negative context; • NTV Moldova and Accent TV continued promoting mostly PSRM candidates, especially Ion Ceban, favoring them by means of providing them with a large amount of airtime and by the positive context of their appearances; • RTR Moldova favored the PSRM candidate Ion Ceban PSRM, by quoting and mentioning him in a relatively large number of materials that covered his activities;

• Jurnal TV covered the activities of the majority of electoral competitors, ensuring a relative pluralism of opinions. Andrei Nastase of ACUM/PPDA/PAS benefited from a relatively bigger number of appearances; • Pro TV and TV8 offered access to the majority of candidates who conducted campaign activities, without clearly favoring or disfavoring any electoral competitor; • Televiziunea Centrală clearly favored the representatives of Shor Party, disfavoring Andrei Nastase (ACUM/PPDA/PAS).

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Broadcasters should use monitoring reports as self-regulation tools and should eliminate gaps, so that their activity be in line with legal standards and with the Journalist’s deontological Code. • The Broadcasting Council should take note and use the monitoring reports to evaluate whether the monitored TV stations respected the right to complete, objective, and truthful information. • The Broadcasting Council should develop intervention instruments and apply them promptly and efficiently in cases of violation of legal standards by broadcasters while covering electoral campaigns, in order to ensure proper information of voters through audiovisual programs.