Beacons Of Understanding Mark The Spot

Michael Hedges January 7, 2019 - Follow on Twitter

The warning lights are flashing red. Still. Journalism and media freedom advocates see nothing but deep crimson in much of the world. The visible spectrum ends there. Invisible infrared takes over, which powers night vision goggles, good for field work.

Romania now holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, a six-month rotating position enabling the Eastern European member state to chair most administrative councils and steep itself in the thick of Brussels. Romania is the final new member state, those joining since 2005, to take the Council presidency. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker suggested the "Bucharest government has not fully understood what it means to preside over the countries of the EU,” quoted by Die Welt (December 29). This is off to a great start.

Press/media freedom advocate Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) commemorated the occasion by reporting that Romania is yet another Eastern European slacker. “Twelve years after Romania joined the European Union and as it gets ready to take on the EU presidency, we urge its authorities to demonstrate responsibility by preventing any further decline in press freedom in their country,” wrote RSF’s EU and Balkan investigator Pauline Adès-Mével (December 27). She called for “active measures to combat disinformation and promote quality journalism.”

Politically-connected media owners, some indicted on various corruption charges, are problematic, said the scathing RSF report. “Owners have used their media outlets in recent years to wage systematic disinformation campaigns designed to undermine Romania’s judicial system.” For journalists, “self-censorship is a condition of survival.” In August Interior Minister Carmen Dan drew up a watch list of journalists who reported police violence at anti-corruption demonstrations. Press freedom in Romania, said RSF, is “in free fall.”

These latest observations may affect Romania’s ranking in the next RSF Press Freedom Index, due in the spring. Its ranking has improved, notch by notch, 44th in the world in 2018 from 52nd in 2015. Since EU accession in 2007, its ranking in the annual RSF indices has ranged from 42nd to 52nd, in the lower half of the 13 new EU Member States. Several of the new EU Member States have seen their press freedom rankings plummet a few years after accession; notably Poland, Malta, Hungary and Bulgaria. Among the group, Estonia ranks best, perhaps because on a clear day across the Baltic Sea, Finland, consistently top ranked in the world, is a beacon.

A bright spot in Romania’s media sphere is online news portals. Hotnews, Factual, Brrlog and Decat o Revista (DOR) have taken the lead along with investigative portals Rise Project and Casa Jurnalistului (Journalist’s House). After publishing rather a rather embarrassing exposé about ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea in 2017 Hotnews was visited by federal tax authorities looking into its revenue. Mr. Dragnea was sentenced to prison in June for abuse of power. While appealing the verdict, he has called for the prosecutor-general to be fired and for Romania’s parliament to decriminalize corruption, reported the Financial Times (January 2).

In November Rise Project was threatened with a €20 million fine by Romania’s data protection authority, citing the European Union General Data Protection Directive (GDPR), for refusing to reveal sources in its investigations of corruption. Rise Project investigators came into possession of “a suitcase” full of documents hidden in a field linking the aforementioned Mr. Dragnea and certain corrupt practices. “We’ll never give out the data or talk about our sources,” said Rise Project investigator Paul Radu, quoted by Euronews (November 12).

Years end also brought a special shout-out to more traditional news outlets. “The best journalists and TV makers” in Romania were honored by the Romanian website of the illustrious Russian government propaganda vehicle Sputnik, noted hotnews.ro (January 2). Listed, unsurprisingly, were PSD supporting television channels Romania TV and Antena 3, newspapers Ziarul Financiar and Capital and online portals Lumea Justitiei and DC News. Most are controlled by individuals formerly or currently under indictment for corruption.

See also...

• Hot Topics - Media in Romania

• Hot Topics - Press/Media Freedom

• Hot Topics - Investigative Reporting