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Monitoring Report No. 4 Elements of Propaganda, Information Manipulation and Violation of Journalism Ethics in the Local Media Space

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Monitoring Report No. 4 Elements of Propaganda, Information Manipulation and Violation of Journalism Ethics in the Local Media Space Monitoring Report No. 4 Elements of Propaganda, Information Manipulation and Violation of Journalism Ethics in the Local Media Space December 1, 2016 - February 1, 2017 The report was developed by the Independent Journalism Center within the Media campaign against false and biased information - STOP FALS!, conducted by the Association of Independent Press (API), Independent Journalism Center (IJC) and Association of Independent TV Journalists (ATVJI). GENERAL INFORMATION From 1 December 2016 to 1 February 2017, the Independent Journalism Center monitored 12 media institutions – news portals and TV channels, to identify whether the broadcast journalistic materials contained violations of deontological rules and elements of informational manipulation. It was analyzed how these media reflected the events of public interest in politics, economy, and foreign policy, if there were respected the journalistic rules on verification of information from several sources, diversity of opinions, in order to ensure the balance of the conflict news, etc. Invoking the Journalist’s Ethical Code and the scientific reference works allowed to detect methods and techniques used by Moldovan media to influence the wide public by spreading manipulating messages. The Purpose of Monitoring To establish whether the media in addressing issues of public interest, respected the professional ethics or used procedures of manipulation, and to identify those processes. The monitoring was aimed, as well, to expose the mistakes of journalists, deliberate ones or not, in fact stating, so as that case studies and reports would have an instructive role. Another t purpose of the monitoring was to help to increase vigilance of the media consumers when it came to risks of unsafe information sources. Thus, the monitoring helps consumers to understand how the media can manipulate, to be able to distinguish between a manipulator journalistic product and a product that reflects equidistant reality. The selection criteria of the media outlets monitored were: Coverage area – national; Language: Romanian and Russian; Impact – circulation and audience. Media outlets monitored: Audiovisual: Publika TV (news on the website Publika.md), Prime TV, Jurnal TV, Accent TV, RTR (newscasts prepared in Republic of Moldova), REN TV; Online press: Ziarulnațional.md, Pan.md; Gagauzinfo.md, Novostipmr.com, Sputnik.md, Deschide.md. Note: Jurnal TV has been monitored until 15 January 2017, when, due to ammendments to program schedule, newscasts were suspended. Methodology There were selected political, economic and social events of major public interests, which occurred during the monitoring period, there was studied the way to reflect those events in the media. There was analyzed the language and images used by journalists, the mode of selecting events for coverage, accuracy of source quoting, tone of exposure etc., in terms of the Journalist’s Ethical Code1, of the guidelines and recommendations in the field of quality and responsible media2, and notions of manipulation and propaganda, in the sense offered by the Dictionary of Sociology3. Manipulation is defined as: "the act of making a social actor (person, group, community) think and act in a manner compatible with the interests of the initiator and not with his/her interests, by using persuasion techniques that intentionally distort the truth giving the impression of freedom of thought and decision. Unlike the influence of the rational persuasion type, manipulation is aimed not to a more accurate and deeper understanding of the situation but to imprinting in the mind of a convenient understanding, falling back both on the misleading by using forged arguments and on the emotional non-rational levels’." Propaganda: "the systematic activity of transmission, promotion or dissemination of doctrines, theses or ideas from the standpoint of a particular social group and ideologies, in order to influence, change, form concepts, attitudes, opinions, beliefs and behaviors. The propaganda is performed in such way as to lead to the realization of the goals and interests of the group it serves, and there is no value-neutral or objective propaganda." Main subjects monitored between 1 December 2016 and 1 February 2017: Validation presidential elections results by the Constitutional Court, 13 December 2016; Approval at the first reading of bills on tax amnesty and capital liberalization, 16 December 2016; Education workers' strike, 17 December 2017; Igor Dodon's statement on the cancellation of the EU Association Agreement, 17 January 2017; Government activity report for one year in office, 20 January 2017. II. GENERAL TRENDS Monitoring data shows that some journalistic materials were made with deviation from the deontological rules. As well, following elements of propaganda and informational manipulation practices were identified: 1 Moldovan Journalist Code of Ethics, http://consiliuldepresa.md/fileadmin/fisiere/documente/cod_d_rom.pdf 2 Style Guidelines Containing the Ethical Rules for Journalists, API, http://www.unicef.org/moldova/Ghid_Etica_Jurnalist_RO.pdf 3 Catalin Zamfir, Lazar Vlasceanu, Dictionary of Sociology, Bucharest, 1998, p.332, p.457. http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/nccmn/images/1/1c/Dictionar-de-Sociologie-Catalin-Zamfir-Lazar- Vlasceanu.pdf/revision/latest?cb=20150813042511&path-prefix=ro Selective presentation of the facts - Publika TV, Prime TV, Deschide.md, Accent TV; Ignorance of certain facts when covering a subject - this deviation was identified on Publika TV, Prime TV, Accent TV, Pan.md, Sputnik.md, RTR, Gagauzinfo.md, Newspmr.com; Elimination of subjects 4 from the agenda of the media- Accent TV, RTR, Pan.md; Lack of diversity of opinions - break of the Ethical Code and Broadcasting Code found on Publika TV and Prime; Blurring - featuring non-relevant details or information to the detriment of core issues - Publika TV; Generalization - presentation of a sole opinion or idea as the opinion of the majority - Publika TV; Manipulation through images - techniques employed by Publika TV. III. DATA ANALYSIS 1st Subject. Validation of presidential elections results on 13 November 20165 On 13 December the Constitutional Court validated the results of the second round of presidential elections, and Igor Dodon, the leader of Socialists Party, was officially affirmed as the President of the Republic of Moldova. During the meeting, representatives of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) whose candidate, Maia Sandu, lost the electoral race on 13 November, lodged a formal objection to contest the elections results, alleging also the fact that thousands of Moldovans from Diaspora were unable to cast their vote, thus requested to invalidate the election results. Same things were demanded by several young people from a unionist organization who protested in front of the Court. Publika TV, in their main newscast of the day, and Prime TV at First news (Primele știri) presented information in a selective manner, they announced the decision of the Constitutional Court and informed about the protest of young people, however they bypassed the objection lodged by PAS and the arguments supporting their claims. Given that after the second round, hundreds of Moldovan citizens living abroad brought a case before the court for alleging breach of their voting rights, and PAS took several legal steps on the breach of election legislation, the arguments for the invalidation on election outcomes put forward 4 HERJEU, Radu. Manipulation, Propaganda and Persuasion Techniques on TV, https://dorinpopa.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/herjeu-radu-tehnici-de-propaganda-manipulare-si-pers- in-tv.pdf 5 Case study 1, http://mediacritica.md/ro/studiu-de-caz-validarea-rezultatelor-alegerilor-prezidentiale- de-la-13-noiembrie-2016-omisiuni-si-abordare-selectiva/ by party's representative were relevant facts, without these facts the news story was incomplete. As well, the decision on the legality of presidential elections is one of the most important events for a country, therefore comprehensive coverage of all facts about that day, as well as appropriate background were a must. Both news stories were built on selective facts, some facts were ignored, and ignorance is an informational manipulation tactics. A similar technique of event coverage was employed during the newscast on Accent TV, where nothing was mentioned about the objection lodged by PAS and the protest in front of the Constitutional Court, Sputnik.md as well ignored several details. The portal informed in a selective manner about the validation of elections results, only party covering relevant facts. Also, online publication Pan.md, in both news reports about the event, did not pay attention to meeting details - CEC report or PAS objection. Other monitored media, by and large, covered the event in line with deontological norms, ensuring diversity of opinions and balance of sources. 2. Approval in the first reading of bills on tax amnesty and capital liberalization6 On 1 December 2016, a group of MPs, including Andrian Candu, Speaker of the Parliament submitted two bills proposing that persons who own undeclared capital in form of goods, cash, stock or shares in trading companies, to declare it and pay 2% of given capital value, thus legalizing it, however without being punished for avoiding paying taxes. Both bills were approved in the first reading as a matter of urgency on 16 December 2016. NGOs in the field of economics, integrity and anti-corruption explained the main dangers related to
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