Pictured above is the Dniester River that runs through Moldova. This photo was captured by Clay Gilliland.
Pictured above is a town in Romania. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.
History
According to Local Histories, in the 1930s, Romania experienced a period of political instability as they were transitioning between several different types of government until 1938 when royal dictatorship was introduced. During WWII, the country was forced to give up several territories to other countries which resulted in much of Romania's Jewish population being deported by Nazis and subsequently killed. After the defeat of the Nazi regime, Russian troops occupied Romania, forcing the country into Communism. Romania remained a totalitarian country until the Communist party's sudden collapse in 1989. The country then transitioned to democracy and eventually joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007. Presently, the economy in Romania continues to flourish.
Geography
According to the Embassy of Romania to the United States of America, Romania is located in the center of Europe and is made up of hills, plateaus, and plains. The country's neighbors include Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, and to the east, the Black Sea. The terrain includes the Carpathian Mountains and is full of several different rivers, lakes, and seas.
Population
According to macrotrends, in 2022, the population in Romania is 19,659, 267, which is a 1.71% increase from the previous year.
Language
According to educations.com, the official language in Romania is Romanian. Hungarian and Romani are also spoken by a small number of people.
Current Media Climate
According to Reporters Without Borders, Romania's media climate reflects the common trends that are seen presently around the world. The popularity of television, radio, and online media outlets is on the rise while the print media becomes less and less popular. Romania's constitution guarantees freedom of the press and the freedom to establish publications. Despite this, the independence of the media is constantly being threatened due to political interference. The fourth political force in the Romanian Parliament, the populist-nationalist party AUR, has restored and amplified the amount of political discourse against journalists.
Pictured above is a sunset over the mountains of Moldova. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.
History
According to StudyCountry, similar to Romania, Moldova was directly affected by WWII and the rise of Nazism, which divided the country between support of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Post WWII, the country faced many challenges including government repression, famine, and drought. In the 70s and 80s, Moldova received financial backing from the Soviet government. Because of this, members of the independence movement were harshly dealt with by the hands of the Soviets. Regardless, the country gained its independence on August 27, 1991 under the Soviet leadership of Gorbachev. Moldova went on to join the United Nations in March of 1992. Today, the country is a democratic republic.
Geography
According to the official website of the Republic of Moldova, the country is located in Central Europe. Its borders includes Ukraine and the Prut River, which separates the country from Romania. Moldova is full of lakes and rivers, the main ones being the Nistru, the Prut, the Raut, the Cogalnic, the Bric, and the Botna. The geographical position of Moldova creates its rich botanical diversity which includes three natural zones- forest, forest-steppe, and steppe.
Population
According to The World Bank, in 2022, the population of Moldova was reported to be 2,573,929 people.
Language
According to the Library of Congress, in Moldova, Romanian is recognized as the country's official language.
Current Media Climate
In Moldova's constitution, it states that "the public mass-media means shall not be subject to censorship". According to Reporters Without Borders, despite this, the major media outlets- TV6, NTV Moldova, and Prime TV- are controlled by powerful political figures. The system of Moldova was initially put in place by Moldova boss, Vladimir Plahotniuc, who belonged to the Democratic Party. After losing his influence, it was quickly regained by the pro-Russian Party of Socialists. The media climate created by their influence has led to journalists being threatened by government officials and political leaders. In addition to this, accessing national information is a difficult task for journalists.
Pictured above is a building in Bulgaria. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.
History
According to Britannica, even though Bulgaria gravitated toward the Axis powers during WWII, by the mid 20th century, the country had a close alliance with the Soviet Union. This transformed the country, affecting the land use, labor practices, religion, art, and many other cultural aspects. In the late 1980s and early 90s, Bulgaria was released from the grasp of the Soviet Union and by 2004, had joined NATO. In 2007, the country joined the EU.
Geography
According to Country Studies, Bulgaria is situated on the West Coast of the Black Sea and is surrounded by Romania, Greece, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. Its terrain is mostly made up of plains, plateaus, hills, mountains, basins, gorges, and deep river valleys.
Population
According to the Data World Bank, in 2021, the population of Bulgaria was reported to be 6,899,125 people.
Language
According to the BBC, the official language of Bulgaria is Bulgarian.
Current Media Climate
The constitution of Bulgaria states that "the press and other mass information media shall be free and shall not be subjected to censorship", but according to Reporters Without Borders, there is a lot of political influence and intimidation that affects the independence of the media. For twelve years, up until 2021, the freedom of the media was declining during the uninterrupted rule of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
Pictured above is a city in Moldova. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Misinformation in Romania, Moldova, and Bulgaria
Misinformation and disinformation are two very prevalent issues in today's media climate. According to our in class notes, disinformation is the intentional spread of false information. The goal of it is to create fear and destabilize other countries or areas. A tactic of this is social media. Misinformation is similar in that it is false information being spread, however, it is not on purpose or with mal intent.
A country with a misinformation problem is Romania. According to the Center for Media, Data and Society, 108 misinformation sites were found in the country. These sites can be divided into three different categories: ideological consistency, operational aspects, and funding sources. Another source of misinformation in Romania is social media, similar to almost every other country. Most of the sites also use social media along with their websites to spread their lies, which makes the information travel even more.
Moldova also has a problem with dis and misinformation according to the Center for Media, Data and Society. Most Moldovans use social media to get their news because of how biased their news sources are in their country. About 85% of Moldovans say that their news resources are politically biased. Over half of them said that they don't even know how to distinguish between real and fake news. The one thing that does combat this issue is the size of the country and the economy. The citizens of Moldova aren't enough to give misinformation sites the profits they need.
In Bulgaria, misinformation is a problem related to the most recent COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, the spread of misinformation during the pandemic was amplified on social media and other digital platforms. This was combated with them creating an app called HealthBuddy+. This app gives people access to accurate and verified information. It will also be tailored to local contexts and languages so it will be useful all over.
How to Verify Information
The best way to avoid all of this misinformation is by using news verifying strategies. A great strategy that we learned about in class is lateral reading. This is done by opening several browser tabs and Google searching the information you found that you want to verify. After this, you should look for reliable and well known sites that have the same information on them. If the site confirms what you read, then you can trust the source. If it doesn't, then you should move on to the next source for information.
Another way to combat consuming fake news is to check out how credible the publisher is and paying attention to the quality of the writing in your article according to Harvard Summer School. One way to check the credibility of the publisher is looking at the domain name. An unusual domain name that is a red flag is “.com.co.” Another strategy is looking at the About Us section to see what the goal of the site is and what kind of information they are trying to get across. Lastly, checking the author can be another way to confirm if the news is fake or real by looking if they have published anything else.
Also, paying attention to the quality of the writing in your article can confirm the credibility of your source. According to Harvard Summer School this can be done by looking for errors in the writing such as spelling errors, use of all caps and or dramatic punctuation. This is because if the article is from a reputable source they would most likely have a proof reader that would correct these errors. Another thing to do is making sure that the story is in the correct context and not being taken from another story or another context to create the story they want.
Journalists in Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria
In Romania Emilia Sercan is a well known investigative reporter. While she was investigating allegations about Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuaca plagiarizing in his doctoral thesis, photos from her computer were leaked onto adult websites in an attempt to spook her. She bravely ignored the leak and continued writing her investigation and published it in January. After publishing she received a threatening message in connection with the leaked photos. She sent this message to police, which was leaked once again and not taken seriously according to Politico.
According to Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, Valentina Ursa is the top female journalist in Moldova. She has worked for Radio Europa Libera since 2004 and is known for being consistently unbiased. Ursa is so talented that no politicians even deny her requests for interviews and she always seems to get answers to even the toughest questions.
Viktoria Marinova was a Bulgarian television reporter that was murdered. According to USA today it is not confirmed that her murder was linked to her work but it is very likely. She had recently interviewed journalists who were investigating politicians and businessmen for corruption of EU funds. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe thoroughly investigated the murder because they have noticed “a trend of increased attacks against female journalists.”
By Ella Wilson
Picture above is newspapers. Photo courtesy of adobe stock.
Romania-News Publications
Some popular newspapers and news sites include, Evenimentul Zilei, Bursa, Cotidianul, Adevărul (The Truth), and Gandul. Evenimentul Zilei is one of Romania’s most circulated daily newspapers. Bursa is a daily newspaper published in Bucharest. Adevărul (The Truth) is also published in Bucharest. Dcnews is Romania’s leading online news outlet.
Although the government claims to have a freedom of the press, news media is highly controlled by the government. According to CEU Democracy Institute, news published and broadcasted from the capital city of Bucharest controls the news market.
Photo of newspaper and tablet. Photo courtesy of adobe stock.
Moldova-News Publications
Major media sources include TV6, NTV Moldova and Prime TV. These news sources are controlled by government officials and people in power.
The Independent Journalism Center is one of the first media organizations in Moldova and was founded in 1994. In 1998 it became an independent organization. Media Azi is an independent news outlet in Moldova.
Photo of a stack of newspapers. Image courtesy of adobe stock.
Bulgaria-News Publications
Television and internet media sources are the main way information is spread in Bulgaria. These include BNT, bTV, and Nova. These media outlets are heavily controlled by the state. 24 Chasa is one of the most used and circulated daily newspapers.
Independent news publications include, The Sofia Globe, which provides news, insight, and analysis about Bulgaria. The website is owned by Clive Leviev-Sawyer who is also the Editor-in-Chief. Monitor, is also an independent newspaper published in Bulgaria. Radio Free Europe (RFE) reopened its bureau in Sofia in 2019 according to the World Press Freedom Index. According to RFE, it provides independent news to combat the weakened media landscape from monopolization of ownership and corruption.
By:Halie Hopman
Current Issues and Problems in News/Media in Romania, Moldova, and Bulgaria
By: Halie Hopman
Romania
In Romania the number of print media outlets are continuing to decrease while online media outlets such as, radio and television channels are increasing. According to the World Press Freedom Index, the media lacks independence. According to CEU Democracy Institute, the government does not allow independent media to thrive. The only way independent media survives in Romania is because of the few small online outlets. These outlets struggle financially and have low level of trust from the public.
A political force in the Romanian Parliament, also known as populist nationalist party AUR, has shown aggressive political discourse against journalist. According to the report there is an issue with disinformation campaigns spread by politicians, especially regarding Covid-19. This creates a problem for the people of Romania to find trustworthy news outlets. There has also been an uprising in attacks against reports and journalists. According to the report, a journalist was attacked and severely beaten in September 2021 while investigation illegal logging.
According to CEU Democracy Institute, journalist frequently complain about problems related to public access to information and job conditions. Media regulation is shaped by the state bodies such as parliamentary committees and state administered regulators. Romania’s media outlets are prone to propaganda and used for political gain for the government.
Image of a journalist taking photos in dangerous conditions. Image courtesy of adobe stock.
Moldova
In Moldova the media is divided into pro-Russian and pro-Western groups. Media is commonly influenced by Oligarchs and political leaders according to the World Freedom Press Index. According to the International Press Institute, a pro-Russian Socialist Party (PSRM) has created an media empire. There are several TV channels, news publications, and Telegram channels under the control of the PSRM and its leader, Igor Dodon spreading Russian propaganda in Moldova. According to the article, despite the efforts of independent media trying to expose corruption and propaganda, pro-Kremlin and pro-PSRM media outlets undermine these other news sources making it hard to get trust from the public.
Many journalists limit themselves to following the political line of the party the associate with. According to the report, The Audiovisual Council granted broadcasting licensing to tv networks that were affiliated to the Party of Socialists, until it was suspended in 2021. Freedom of the press is supposed to be protected by the law but that is not always the case. Defamation lawsuits happen frequently and having access to information is undermined.
Independent media outlets lack resources and are not funded well. The financial issue results in not being able to hire good staff that produce quality work. However, media companies that work closely with government figures and oligarchs are on top of the advertising market, according to the report. Journalist in Moldova are commonly intimidated by government and political leaders. Reporters are harassed and bullied on the internet when the government views them as oppositions.
Photo of reporters. Image courtesy of adobe stock.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the European Union. According to Reuters Institute, Bulgaria is ranked one of the lowest in terms of press freedom and transparency. There is not a lot of media freedom in this country. Journalists are under constant pressure from politicians and government officials. Many news outlets were used for political influence under Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
According to the World Press Freedom Index, investigative reports who cover organized crime and corruption throughout Bulgaria face threats regularly. Media funded by foundations from Western Europe and the United States receive a lot of hostility and hate campaigns. There is an issue with authorities not investigating or condemning people who assault journalist.
According to Reuters Institute, Bulgaria’s media outlets suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many outlets were forced to shut down, impose wage cuts, and some layoffs. Although these media outlets survived there was a price. In order to have financial stability a lot of the news publications were paid from officials to please the government, politicians, or oligarchs. According to the article, government control of TV news channels increased in the lead up to the April 2021 election.
Photo of the press. Image courtesy of adobe stock.
By:Halie Hopman
Credits:
Created with images by rh2010 - "Brasov cityscape in Romania" • Calin Stan - "Old Orhei Moldova sunrise panoramic view" • Daniel - "Basilica Sacre Coeur " • frimufilms - "Panoramic aerial shot of Valea Morilor Park at sunset" • ecstk22 - "Peles Castle, Sinaia, Romania" • eduard - "The City Gates at sunset.Beautiful city of Chisinau from a height" • rustamank - "Coastal landscape banner, panorama - embankment with fortress wall in the city of Sozopol on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria" • wellphoto - "Female journalist at news conference, writing notes, holding microphone" • Pixel-Shot - "Many different newspapers as background" • Pixel-Shot - "Newspapers and tablet computer on table" • Alex Hinds - "all the headlines" • terovesalainen - "Mobile news application in smartphone. Man reading online news on website with cellphone. Person browsing latest articles on the internet. Light from phone screen." • kaninstudio - "Photojournalist documenting war conflict. in the mountain." • Microgen - "Media interview" • Rafael Ben-Ari - "Professional Photojournalist"