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Mediafreedom in Romania 2 0 FRE E E X R E P O R T M E D I A FREEDOM I N R O M A N I A 2014 - 2015 - Member of the Reporters without Borders Network - And IFEX 2014 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 General context................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Ethics In The Mass-Media. Abandoning Media Mission ................................................................................................. 13 Corrupt Media Financing Mechanisms ........................................................................................................................... 13 Constanța local barons, accused of using the press for corruption purposes ............................. 14 Mayor Marian Vanghelie, OTV and B1 TV advertising contract agent ...................................... 15 Party trolls paid with bribe money .............................................................................. 15 Dan Voiculescu and Intact Media – a new criminal investigation for blackmail ........................... 15 POLITICAL PROPAGANDA ................................................................................................................................................ 16 Political instrumentalization of the protests by the political party televisions .......................... 16 Antena 3 fights against the Conservative Party leader ....................................................... 17 Crin Antonescu is afraid of the "Antena 3 lynching" .......................................................... 17 News stations – trampolines for certain candidates .......................................................... 17 Political map of the local television stations .................................................................. 18 Media Instrumentalization For Personal Interests ......................................................................................................... 18 Voiculescu's media, an instrument against Justice ........................................................... 18 Dan Diaconescu, definitively sentenced to prison for blackmail ............................................ 19 B1 TV anchor charged with accepting bribes .................................................................. 19 Bădin facilitated a PSD minister's approach of the Roșia Montană issue ................................... 20 Media employees used by local barons in order to intimidate state officials ............................. 20 Journalist fired "on demand", on April 1st, in the Horea Uioreanu investigation ......................... 21 THE FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH PROFESSIONAL rules ................................................................................................... 21 Threats and insults profesrred by media people .............................................................. 21 The nationalist xenophobic speech, with hate-mongering undertones .................................... 22 Electoral campaign for the presidential elections .......................................................................................................... 23 Open partisanships, manipulation and disinformation. The exploitation of national and religious sensibilities ......................................................................................................... 23 The candidates avoided direct confrontations ................................................................ 24 Prime Minister and candidate Ponta's election campaign endorsed on public television ............... 25 Anti-government protests ignored by the main newscast of TVR ........................................... 25 Ridiculous fines from the National Audiovisual Council ...................................................... 26 2 Political, economic pressures of the authorities and the institutions. Internal pressures ............................................. 26 Pressures of The Authorities ........................................................................................................................................... 26 The infiltration of newsrooms by intelligence agents ........................................................ 26 Presidential candidate says that the SRI is directing money to television stations ...................... 29 President Traian Băsescu allegedly gave his "blessing" for the opening of the news station of a PSD senator .............................................................................................................. 29 Member of the National Audiovisual Council (CNA): the media should be included among the weaknesses against national security ........................................................................... 30 Pressures Which Involved Law Enforcement .................................................................................................................. 30 The dismissal of the case in which journalist Robert Frunzescu was accused of blocking traffic ...... 30 Successive abuses committed by the authorities against the Epoch Times publication ................. 31 Pressures In Art, Culture, Education ............................................................................................................................... 31 The Bucharest Art Biennale: "pre-approved art" .............................................................. 31 BCU Bucharest backed out of an event on sexual minorities ................................................ 32 Freedom of speech, excluded from the academic environment ............................................ 32 Pressures In Newsrooms ................................................................................................................................................. 33 Journalists fired by Digi 24 for their Facebook posts ......................................................... 33 Antena 1 has it in for Mihai Bendeac ............................................................................ 34 Media institutions which demanded the prohibition of the freedom of speech .......................... 34 Aggressions, Threaths, Insults ......................................................................................................................................... 36 The President insults the journalists of Antena 3 ............................................................. 36 The Chairman of the Brăila County Council insulted journalists again ..................................... 36 A citizen attacked by a police officer for recording him in action, in the public space ................ 37 Journalists assaulted at the solidarity rally for Dan Voiculescu ............................................. 37 Mirel Palada, the government's insult disposer ................................................................ 38 Followed by paparazzi, Marian Vanghelie became violent .................................................. 38 Journalist Ștefan Mako, beaten up by the Police while he was investigating its abuses ................ 39 Journalist Cătălin Tolontan and "all of the Bute Gala people" .............................................. 40 The individual who threatened Mihai Gâdea, remanded in custody and sent to trial ................... 41 Access to information of a public interest ...................................................................................................................... 42 The Prime Minister and his ministers avoid inconvenient questions ........................................ 42 3 Preposterous tariffs imposed by the authorities for documents of a public interest .................... 43 Justice decides that the Romanian Broadcasting Company (SRR) is subject to Law 544/2001 ......... 43 Flags, anthems and territorial autonomy. The hungarian community and the freedom of speech .............................. 44 The Târgu Mureș Municipality's Mayor's office prohibits the Szecklers' march ............................ 44 The Covasna Prefecture issues a fine for the singing of the Hungarian anthem .......................... 45 Legislative initiatives that refer to the national symbols and debates on autonomy .................... 45 The Szeckler flag, advertising banner and insult against the Romanian community ..................... 46 The media market ........................................................................................................................................................... 47 Facilities and subsidies for the mass-media ................................................................... 47 The written press ............................................................................................................................................................ 47 The increasing decline of the printed press ................................................................... 47 Press runs and public, including online readers ............................................................... 48 Debts of millions of Euros owed by the former distributors to the media ................................. 48 Insolvencies: Evenimentul Zilei, Capital, Jurnalul Național ................................................. 48 The illicit business dealings of the România Liberă owner .................................................. 49 Mediafax Group: detentions and arrests
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