Radio România Internațional

Tag: World Press Freedom Day

  • Press Freedom in the time of pandemic

    Press Freedom in the time of pandemic

    On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, the Romanian Prime Minister, Florin Cîțu, thanked the journalists for the work done during the coronavirus pandemic and stressed that their efforts to get to the truth are vital in the fight against fake news. In turn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest expressed its solidarity with all journalists and other media professionals who contribute to the correct and relevant information of public opinion. The MFA condemned any arbitrary acts of violence and repression against them.

    On behalf of the European Union, the High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, recalled that, according to the UNESCO observatory, 76 journalists worldwide had been killed since the beginning of 2020 and many others were arrested, harassed or threatened. The head of European diplomacy stated that freedom of the press means security for all and defined it as cornerstone of democratic societies, which can thrive only if citizens have access to reliable information and can make informed choices.Freedom of the press and of speech must be protected and promoted everywhere, and the EU is willing to do more in that respect, Borrell also said.

    The European official expressed particular concern about violence against women in this field of activity. According to a global survey conducted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), almost three out of four women journalists have been victims of online violence and 20% have suffered from the extension of such attacks into the real life. In fact, the theme chosen by UNESCO to mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day – ‘Information as a public good’ – focuses on the transformation of mass communication and information through new technologies and the impact of these changes on human rights, democracy and sustainable development.Ethics, accountability and transparency must take precedence in the production and distribution of journalistic content, and the media literacy of citizens must become a priority for the states of the world, UNESCO recommends.

    In turn, the head of the European Broadcasting Union, Delphine Ernotte, denounced the pressure exerted on the public media in several European countries and deplored the pressure on journalists in Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. In the world ranking of press freedom made by Reporters Without Borders, Romania remains on the 48th place, but the organization signals a decline in terms of transparency. This year’s World Press Freedom Day was marked after more than a year of pandemic, in which, experts say, disinformation and manipulation had a direct effect on people’s health and lives. (MI)

  • May 3, 2019 UPDATE

    May 3, 2019 UPDATE

    Rome — Democracy is not in danger but it is under pressure across the EU, and those who believe in Europe need to be more courageous given that the EU is faced with various problems, such as Brexit, migration and unemployment, said the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday at the conference ‘The State of The Union’ held at the European University Institute in Florence. In his opinion, to bring optimism back to Europe, the source of problems needs to be addressed and local and regional solutions need to be worked out, because there is no single solution for the entire EU. Also on Friday, on the sidelines of the conference, the Romanian president met with the Italian PM Giuseppe Conte, highlighting the importance of the upcoming EU summit for the future of the European project. The 2 officials discussed about the consolidation of bilateral economic relations, the amount of trade exchanges reporting the highest value of the past 10 years.



    COMPET – The Romanian economy minister Niculae Bădălău on Friday chaired the informal meeting of the EU competitiveness council (COMPET) focusing on internal market and industry issues. Three critical issues were approached at the meeting: the SMEs’ market, the single market and the energy intensive industry. The European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Elżbieta Bieńkowska said the talks focused on ways to boost market access and to promote the entrepreneurial spirit across the EU. The meeting in Bucharest was attended by the line ministers from the 28 EU member states and from two member states of the European Free Trade Association, Switzerland and Norway.



    Paris — The Romanian director, scriptwriter and producer Cătălin Mitulescu was selected in the jury of the Cinefondation and short film section at the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival, the organizers announced on Friday on the event’s official website. The jury will grant the Palme d’Or award for short film to one of the 11 films singled out for the competition, on May 25 at the Festival’s closing ceremony. The jury will also grant the three prizes of the Cinefondation Section for which 17 films were selected this year, made by students of filmmaking schools. Cătălin Mitulescu won the Palme d’Or award for his short ‘Traffic’ in 2004. His movies ‘Bucharest-Vienna 8:15” and ’17 minutes late’ were selected for the Cinefondation section in 2001 and 2002. In 2006 his first feature film ‘The Way I spent the end of the World’ was chosen for the ‘Un Certain Regard’ Section and received the best actress award.



    World Press Freedom Day — The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) pays homage to the world’s journalists who, despite censorship, repression and manipulation, in times of peace or war, took risks and sometimes paid with their lives in their attempt to do their job and inform the public opinion, shows a communiqué of the Romanian Foreign Ministry made public on the World Press Freedom Day. On this occasion, MAE reiterated the importance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, underscoring that freedom of the press was the guarantor of any functioning democracy. In a message conveyed on the World Press Freedom Day, the US Embassy in Bucharest said that “the recent threats against Romanian investigative journalists have no place in a democratic, Western civilization”. The US Embassy expresses solidarity with the responsible and brave Romanian reporters who resist pressures and threats in Bucharest and in various counties of Romania. Media and judicial independence are at the heart of NATO, the American diplomats also say. The statement emphasizes that a free press ensures citizens are well informed and is a key component of democratic governance and economic success for all countries. Recently, a journalist investigating cases of plagiarism at the Police Academy has received threats, an incident into which the authorities are currently looking.




    Missions — 4 Eurofighter Typhoon planes of the Italian Air Forces landed on Friday at the Mihail Kogălniceanu base in southeastern Romania, to participate in enhanced air policing missions, the Romanian Defense Ministry announced. The Ministry officials also said that the Italian detachment, made up of almost 130 military, pilots and technical staff and Eurofighter Typhoon planes will be deployed to Romania for the next 4 months and will undertake air policing missions alongside MiG-21 LanceR planes and military of the Romanian Air Forces. (translation by L. Simion)

  • The Week in Review (April 30-May 4)

    The Week in Review (April 30-May 4)

    Doina Cornea, a symbol of anti-communist resistance, has passed away


    A symbol of anti-communist resistance in Romania, Doinea Cornea passed away on Thursday night after a long suffering. Born 89 years ago into a family of high moral and religious stature, Doina Cornea was a university professor with the French Department of the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj and in the 1980s she became famous for her public criticism of the Communist regime. Her letters were read on international radio stations and stirred the anger of the Romanian officials. As a result, she was fired from the university, and was arrested and beaten by the political police, the Securitate. She became one of the central figures of the anti-communist Revolution of 1989 and was one of the first to protest against the way in which the National Salvation Front, which took the reigns of power after the fall of the Communist regime, ruled the country. Pope John Paul II awarded her the Order of Saint Gregory the Great and King Michael I awarded her the Order of the Star of Romania. She also received the National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest French order of merit for military and civil merits.




    President Iohannis sends the justice laws back to the Constitutional Court


    Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis has decided to send to the Constitutional Court the recently adopted justice laws. Rushed through parliament in December, in the form proposed by the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the laws had reached the stage where they were to be promulgated by the president. The president, however, has announced that he will send the laws to the Constitutional Court and will notify the Venice Commission. According to the head of state, the laws are not in line with either the domestic constitutional framework or the European standards regarding the status of magistrates, judicial organization and the functioning of the Higher Council of the Magistracy. Klaus Iohannis has stated that the new provisions damage the prosecutors’ status and enhance the risk of the justice process as such being blocked. Also, the president has stressed, structures are being created with the aim of controlling the magistrates and eliminating guarantees of the judiciary’s organizational independence, by enhancing the role of the Justice Minister, to the detriment of the Higher Council of the Magistracy. The ruling coalition believes that the head of state merely wants to delay the application of the laws, but the opposition has hailed the president’s move and has called for the resignation of the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. In parliament, the Special committee in charge of analyzing the justice laws has started talks on the changes brought to the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Civil Procedure Code.




    The European Commission maintains its forecasts regarding Romania’s economic growth in 2018 and 2019


    The European Commission has maintained its forecasts regarding Romania’s economic growth this year and next year, to 4.5% and 3.9% respectively. In its spring economic forecast published on Thursday, the Commission also signals the fact that the budget deficit would reach 3.4% of the GDP in 2018, also as a result of the significant increase in salaries in the public sector. At the same time, the inflation rate, which has been growing since 2017, will maintain its upward trend, though the pace will not be that fast in 2019. As regards the European level, economic growth is still solid, and that has helped reduce the level of unemployment down to the lowest rate in the past 10 years, as the European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici has announced. The EU and the Eurozone economy will keep growing by 2.3% this year and 2% in 2019, which confirms the Brussels officials’ statement that Europe is not just in a stage of economic re-launch, but it is also solidly expanding.




    World Press Freedom Day was celebrated across the world on may 3rd


    World Press Freedom Day was celebrated across the world through various events. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a message conveyed on the occasion that the promotion of a free press represents everybody’s right to know the truth. In the past years, however, the media has been faced with several challenges, in particular the ‘fake news’ phenomenon, and in some countries even prestigious institutions have been accused of promoting this phenomenon. Moreover, according to the 2018 World Press Freedom Index, established by the Reporters Without Borders organization, the feelings of hate and hostility towards journalists have grown in the past years. World Press Freedom Day is also an opportunity to pay homage to those journalists who died while doing their job. According to the latest toll, 65 journalists were killed across the world in 2017. in Romania, the latest report, launched by Active Watch, shows that the mass-media in Romania is still used for propaganda, disinformation and intoxication. In the World Press Freedom Index Romania ranks 44th out of 180, ahead of the US and Italy, but after South Korea.




  • May 3, 2018 UPDATE

    May 3, 2018 UPDATE


    MEETING – On Friday, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis will attend the informal meeting of the heads of state of Bulgaria, Austria and Romania, hosted by Ruse, Bulgaria. The format of the meeting reflects the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union this year and in the first semester of next year. The talks will focus on the current European agenda, with the aim of facilitating a good cooperation and coordination during the three presidencies. Klaus Iohannis will stress Romanias interest in a good cooperation with Bulgaria and Austria, in order to fulfill the common goal of moving forward the European agenda for the citizens benefit. Also, president Iohannis will participate, alongside his Bulgarian and Austrian counterparts Rumen Radev and Alexander Van der Bellen respectively, in the conference titled: “The sustainable development of the Danube Region and the interconnection between regions.”



    VISIT– A delegation led by the Minister for Romanians Abroad Natalia-Elena Intotero is currently on a three-day visit to Italy. According to a communiqué issued by the line ministry, the visit started in Bari, in the region of Puglia and will come to a close in Rome, in the Lazio region. The agenda of the visit includes talks with representatives of the local authorities, of the associative environment, trade unions and members of the Orthodox religious denomination. Data released by the Italian National Statistics Institute show that the Romanian community in Italy exceeds 1,100,000 people of a total of 5 million foreign citizens who are legally residing in Italy, being the largest foreign community in that country.



    DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu on Thursday started a two-day official visit to Morocco, at the invitation of his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the agenda of the visit includes talks with the Moroccan PM Saadeddine El-Othmani, the Speaker of the House of Councilors (the upper house of Parliament) Hakim Benchamach and with the Education Minister Saaid Amzazi. The visit also has an economic dimension, meant to boost bilateral trade exchanges and investments. Minister Melescanu will also have a meeting with the president of the Morocco-Romania Bilateral Chamber of Commerce, to be attended by local entrepreneurs as well. On Friday, Teodor Meleşcanu will meet with his counterpart Nasser Bourita. The two officials will sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Romanian and Moroccan Foreign Ministries and a Cooperation Agreement between the Romanian Diplomatic Institute and the Moroccan Academy of Diplomatic Studies.



    SEA SHIELD – “Sea Shield”, the biggest NATO military exercise on the south-eastern flank of the Alliance, is unfolding in Constanta, in south-eastern Romania, as of Thursday. Taking part in the exercise are 21 military ships, 10 fighters, a submarine and 2,300 military staff from several countries. According to a communiqué issued by the Chief of Staff of the Romanian Naval Forces, during the military training exercise the participants will practice NATO standard-fighting procedures against asymmetrical, submarine and maritime threats, according to a scenario based on a fictitious geopolitical situation. The Romanian Naval Forces are taking part in the exercise with two frigates, two guided-missile destroyers, and two maritime dredging ships. The Romanian Air Forces also contribute three MIG 21 Lancer fighters and the Ground Forces will contribute, for the first time, an infantry detachment.



    PRESS FREEDOM – On May 3rd, which is the World Press Freedom Day, the US Embassy in Bucharest congratulated the reporters in Romania who serve Romanians and the public interest. Romania has become a regional model as regards the rule of law, reads a communiqué issued by the embassy. Many of the improvements recorded are the result of the determination of some brave journalists whove had the courage to increase transparency, reveal irregularities and hold accountable both natural persons and institutions. On the other hand, the 2017-2018 Report on Press Freedom in Romania, made public on Thursday, reads that parts of the media have contributed significantly to the radicalization of the public discourse by means of political bias and by assimilating topics imposed by politicians. Fake news has contaminated the media landscape in Romania, helping build an alternative narrative, in which the actions of the politicians in power are deemed legitimate, while those carried out by their opponents are incriminated. Romania ranks 44th out of 180 in the world press freedom index.



    SPORT – On Thursday, the Romanian Alina Vuc won the silver medal in the 50 kg category at the European Wrestling Championship in Kaspiysk, Russia, after being defeated in the final by the Azeri Maria Stadnik. Alina Vuc won the third medal for the Romanian delegation, after the gold won by Mihai Mihut in the 63 kg category and the bronze medal won by Alin Alexuc – Ciurariu in the 130 category. In tennis, the Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu (no.37 in the WTA rankings) has qualified for the semifinals of the WTA tournament in Prague, with 230,000 USD in prize money. She defeated Kristyna Pliskova 6-2, 6-3. The Romanian player has also qualified for the doubles final, alongside Lidia Morozova of Belarus, following the withdrawal of the Czech pair Barbora Stefkova / Barbora Strycova.Romanias table tennis womens team has failed to qualify for the semifinals of the World Championship in Halmstad, Sweden, as it was defeated by the Hong Kong team 3-nil.




  • May 3, 2018

    May 3, 2018

    VISIT – A delegation led by the minister for the Romanians Around the World, Natalia-Elena Intotero, is currently on a three-day visit to Italy. According to a communiqué issued by the line ministry, the visit starts in Bari, in the region of Puglia and will come to a close in Rome, in the Lazio region. The agenda of the visit includes talks with representatives of the local authorities, of the associative environment, trade unions and members of the Orthodox religious denomination. Data released by the Italian National Statistics Institute show the Romanian community in Italy exceeds 1,100,000 people of a total of 5 million foreign citizens who are legally residing in Italy, being the largest foreign community in that country.



    DIPLOMACY– Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, is today starting a two-day official visit to Morocco, at the invitation of his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the agenda of the visit includes talks with Moroccan PM Saadeddine El-Othmani, the Speaker of the House of Councillors (the upper house of Parliament), Hakim Benchamach and with the minister of education Saaid Amzazi. The visit also has an economic dimension, meant to boost two way trade exchanges and mutual investments. Minister Melescanu is also due to meet the president of the Morocco-Romania Bilateral Chamber of Commerce, to be attended by local entrepreneurs as well. On Friday, Teodor Meleşcanu will meet his counterpart, Nasser Bourita. On that occasion, the two officials will sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Romanian and Moroccan Foreign Ministries, respectively, and a Cooperation Agreement between the Romanian Diplomatic Institute and the Moroccan Academy of Diplomatic Studies.



    SEA SHIELD – Sea Shield, the biggest allied military exercise on NATOs south-eastern flank is unfolding in Constanta, south-eastern Romania, as of today. Taking part in the exercise are 21 military ships, 10 fighters, a submarine and 2,300 military from several countries. According to a communiqué issued by the Chief of Staff of the Romanian Naval Forces, during the military training exercise the military will practice NATO standard-fighting procedures against asymmetrical, submarine and maritime threats, according to a scenario based on a fictitious geopolitical situation. The Romanian Naval Forces are contributing to the exercise two frigates, two guided-missile destroyers, and two maritime dredging ships. The Romanian Air Forces also contribute three MiG 21 Lancer fighters and the Ground Forces will contribute, for the first time, an infantry detachment.



    WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY – Some parts of the mass media have significantly contributed to the radicalisation of the public discourse by political bias and the assimilation of themes imposed by politicians, the fake news also contaminating the media landscape in Romania and contributing to the consolidation of alternative narratives, where the actions carried out by the ruling politicians are given legitimacy and those by the contesters are incriminated. The assessment is included in the 2017-2018 Report on Press Freedom in Romania, made public today. The document also shows that the ruling power, following the December 2016 elections, has imposed new leaderships at the Romanian Television Company, TVR, and the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, SRR, the TV and radio licence fee being eliminated after several attempts by the politicians over the past few years, thus increasing the two public media institutions dependency on the political power. Celebrated every year on May 3, the World Press Freedom Day is marked by 100 events the world over. Romania is ranking 44th in a global classification of press freedom, ahead of such countries as the US or Italy and behind South Korea.



    CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA – The British firm Cambridge Analytica closed on Wednesday citing a loss of business. According to the BBC, “the closure of Cambridge Analytica will not stop a probe into the firm’s handling of millions of people’s data, investigators have said. The firm has been accused of acquiring data from up to 87 million Facebook profiles for use in political campaigns. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said its investigation will still ‘pursue individuals and directors, the BBC reports



    TABLE TENNIS– Romanias womens table tennis team is today facing the team of Hong Kong, in the quarter finals of the World Championships held in Sweden. Romania has qualified in the quarter-finals after securing four wins and sustaining one defeat. In exchange, the national mens team has failed to qualify for the eighth finals of the World Championships, after losing to Hong Kong.

  • World Press Freedom Day

    World Press Freedom Day

    In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly declared 3rd May World Press Freedom Day. The declaration was adopted after a recommendation made at the UNESCO General Conference in 1991 on promoting press freedom around the world. According to the 1991 resolution, a free, pluralist and independent press is an essential component of a democratic society.




    “Promoting a free press is standing up for our right to truth”, said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a special message. He also called on governments to strengthen press freedom and protect journalists. World Press Freedom Day is also an opportunity to pay tribute to the journalists killed while exercising their profession.



    The latest toll shows that 65 journalists were killed last year around the world. Digitalization is one of the challenges facing the media in recent years. Digital information is in fact the theme of the Digital Transformation Forum, Governance and Watchdogs hosted by Bucharest on Thursday and Friday. Held for the first time in Romania, the forum looks at the way in which digital information technologies contribute to better governance and aids the activity of the media and of civil society as guardians of democracy and good governance.




    Governmental experts, journalists, representatives of civil society and communication professionals from more than 30 different countries are discussing the effectiveness and honesty of governance, the role of the media and the contribution of civil society.




    Another recent challenge faced by the media is fake news, and this worrying phenomenon has been spreading. According to a survey carried out by the European Commission recently, a third of respondents from 28 countries say they are faced with the fake news phenomenon every day, and more than 80% believe fake news is a problem for their country and democracy in general.




    In Romania, radio and TV channels enjoy a confidence rating of 66%, while in the case of print media, this rating stands at 45%. Only 37% of the Romanians polled say they trust news websites and online sources. Also, 82% believe fake news is a threat to democracy. The latest specialist survey launched by Active Watch shows that the media in Romania is still used for propaganda, disinformation and intoxication. Romania occupies the 44th position in a world press freedom ranking, ahead of the United States and Italy, and behind South Korea.