Relying on interviews with media professionals from various outlets, this survey seeks to answer one question: Is the Romanian media prepared to fulfill its public mandate in a pivotal year for democracy? Despite a seemingly thriving ecosystem in which many independent media outlets operate, the disillusioned responses from the interviewed stakeholders lead to an unfortunate conclusion: the sector is barely, if at all, prepared to serve the public interest.
Cristina Lupu, author of the report, describes the many factors affecting Romania's media capacity to act as public watchdogs: newsroom fatigue, political actors’ opaque allocation of public funding to the media, restricted access to public information, forms of legal intimidation, harassment. Last but not least, public distrust of journalists. The entire democratic process suffers as the media is increasingly seen as a tool for political manipulation.
Despite these challenges, a fragmented and vulnerable alternative press continues to document important stories. Although these efforts are not enough to counterbalance mainstream media's shortcomings, the journalists interviewed for this survey remain dedicated to their mission, believing that 2024 is too crucial to give up.
Tags: Romania media freedom Media pluralism Media capture SLAPP Safety of journalistsThe content of this article can be used according to the terms of Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) . To do so use the the wording "this article was originally published on the Resource Centre on Media Freedom in Europe" including a direct active link to the original article page.
