In a year with four rounds of elections, the press in Romania faces a series of issues affecting journalists’ independence, mentions an international report analyzing press freedom in Romania. The report was conducted by the International Press Institute (IPI) and Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), following meetings held in January with journalists, members of regulatory institutions, civil society and lawyers. The document also make recommendations for authorities to implement. Among the main issues facing the press in Romania, the report mentions: The toxic influence exerted by political parties through the use of public funds to purchase advertising space on websites. An alarming trend of using SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) lawsuits against the press. A growing wave of online harassment against journalists and their sources. The authors of the report mention that “Romania has one of the most dynamic media sectors in south-eastern Europe, boasting a diverse and rapidly evolving landscape. A handful of powerful companies dominate the mainstream media and, while they are independent, their political coverage has been criticised for being corrupted by a large influx of political money that creates a pliable and clientelist media culture.” The report underlines that local journalism, though, faces the biggest crisis where most of the media are effectively captured by politicians as a result of their dependence on government advertising funds. “Some 90% of media, working on shoestring budgets for an ever-shrinking audience, have become public relations vehicles for the town mayors.” Also, another existing danger mentioned is the growing involvement of Romania’s powerful betting industry is causing disquietin media and political circles. The report mentions here the situation of the publications owned by Ringier in Romania, Libertatea and GSP, which faced commercial interference in the editorial process. The Ringier scandal also illustrates the influence of the betting industry, with GSP journalists showing how Ringier Sports Management Group tried to pressure the newsroom on how it reports on the gambling industry and demanded that they submit articles before publication. The report also mentions that the gambling industry has allocated more than €2.4 billion on media advertising in 2022. Yet, the large media trusts “are being challenged by a young and vibrant sector of high-quality innovative media that refuses political money, demands the highest levels of integrity, and focuses on exposing corruption while reaching larger and larger audiences.” But that comes with a cost, as journalists suffer increasing online hostility and trolling, and the report exemplifies with the case of Emilia ?ercan, targeted by an ugly political smear campaign after revealing that several powerful politicians had plagiarised their academic theses. (Source:https://ipi.media/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/romania-report-1.pdf)
In the context in which agri-food systems are responsible for almost one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, Auchan Romania assumes an active role in the transition of its supply chain toward a more sustainable model. At the second edition of the Climate Supplier Event, organized under the aegis of the Climate Change Summit, the […]
Janiva Magness, the winner of seven Blues Music Awards following 26 nominations, and nominated for a Grammy for a career spanning 17 albums, is set to perform at the 14th edition of the Brașov Jazz & Blues Festival, which will take place between August 14–16, 2026. Magness is one of the most valuable and influential […]
Auction house Artmark announced a major auction for this winter featuring an engraving created by Francisco Goya, the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Romania's late communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu received this gift from King Juan Carlos I as a gesture of diplomacy. The engraving entitled “The Engagement – Capricho […]
Authorities managing Romania's Bicaz Gorges–Hășmaș National Park has built a fish ladder system on the Bicaz River, which will allow protected species to migrate and reproduce. There are several bridges and small bridge structures in the Bicaz River that have a “bottom sill,” meaning small waterfalls. Fish that do not jump like the trout cannot […]
The far-right opposition parties in the Romanian Parliament are set to file a motion of no confidence against the government headed by prime minister Ilie Bolojan. The motion, authored by senator Ninel Peia of the Peace – Romania First group, is specifically aimed at the reformist party Save Romania Union (USR), and is entitled “Romania […]
Romania's iconic rock singer Adrian Pleșca, known as “Artan,” died on Tuesday, December 2, after a fatal stroke, at the age of 64. The artist founded the well-known band “Timpuri Noi” in 1982 and “Partizan” in 2001, and was popular on the Romanian rock scene. Over the years, he left and returned to the two bands. Several […]
