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OSCE Mission and Council of Europe Representative set standards for public broadcasters in Moldova
CHISINAU 29 March 2004
CHISINAU, 29 March 2004 - Common international standards to assist public broadcasters in Moldova - jointly prepared by the OSCE Mission to Moldova and the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (SRSG/CoE) - were presented today in Chisinau to the Chairman of the national broadcasting institution, Teleradio Moldova (TRM).
In their meeting with TRM chairman, Ilie Telescu, and the Chairman of TRM's Supervisory Board, Iurie Tabarta, the OSCE Head of Mission, Ambassador William Hill, and SRSG/CoE, Ambassador Vladimir Philipov, emphasised their wish to support the public broadcasters in the ongoing transformation process.
"These standards are based on internationally accepted principles and set out clear and transparent criteria," said Ambassador Hill. "We believe that following them will help improve the quality of public broadcasting in Moldova."
Ambassador Philipov added: "With these benchmarks we aim to lay out markers, which have become a standard for democratic development and are an important element for freedom of expression. We can now judge Moldova's public broadcasting on the basis of criteria widely accepted and known to everyone."
The 25 articles of the document have been drawn up on the basis of statutes established for the public broadcasting institutions of several OSCE and Council of Europe participating states such as the BBC, Voice of America and others.
They have been selected and adjusted in the light of recent discussions related to TRM's broadcasting, but are also meant to act as guidelines for local public broadcasting institutions in the country. The majority of the benchmarks refer to issues such as accurate and balanced reporting, impartiality and the right to reply.
In their meeting with TRM chairman, Ilie Telescu, and the Chairman of TRM's Supervisory Board, Iurie Tabarta, the OSCE Head of Mission, Ambassador William Hill, and SRSG/CoE, Ambassador Vladimir Philipov, emphasised their wish to support the public broadcasters in the ongoing transformation process.
"These standards are based on internationally accepted principles and set out clear and transparent criteria," said Ambassador Hill. "We believe that following them will help improve the quality of public broadcasting in Moldova."
Ambassador Philipov added: "With these benchmarks we aim to lay out markers, which have become a standard for democratic development and are an important element for freedom of expression. We can now judge Moldova's public broadcasting on the basis of criteria widely accepted and known to everyone."
The 25 articles of the document have been drawn up on the basis of statutes established for the public broadcasting institutions of several OSCE and Council of Europe participating states such as the BBC, Voice of America and others.
They have been selected and adjusted in the light of recent discussions related to TRM's broadcasting, but are also meant to act as guidelines for local public broadcasting institutions in the country. The majority of the benchmarks refer to issues such as accurate and balanced reporting, impartiality and the right to reply.