Public Money Funds the Media

The Public-Private Working Group (PPWG) for strengthening media in Moldova is calling for transparency in the use of public money to procure services from the media.  The PPWG is part of a program funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation that is managed by the United States Agency for Development. At the September 19 meeting, PPWG examined proposed changes in the public procurement law (No.  96-XVI from 13 April 2007).  The draft of the modified law was initially developed by the Independent Journalism Center to establish more clear and open procedures when the government spends taxpayer revenue to buy services from the mass media or to support media outlets.  Transparency is important to ensure that the media presents accurate and balanced news and truly serves the public interest.  The group will formally request that the Agency for Material Resources, Public Procurement and Humanitarian Aid examine the draft changes to the procurement law and then to submit it to the Government of Moldova as a legislative initiative.   The PPWG also examined a complaint made by investigative journalists regarding the high fees that mass media must pay to the State Registration Board to obtain public information about private businesses.  The group will request that the Government of Moldova, through the National Working Group for Monitoring the Implementation of the Threshold Country Program, modify Government Decision nr.926 from 12.07.2002, which sets forth the fees for services provided by the Board, within the Ministry of Information Development.  The provisions of this Decision, which exempt mass-media from paying any fees for information services that are in the public interest, must be more clearly stated. The next meeting of the Public-Private Work Group for Strengthening Media will take place on 17 October 2008.  For further information, please contact Petru Macovei at the Association of Independent Press at (22) 22 09 96 or pmacovei@api.md. The Public-Private Working Group for Strengthening Media in Moldova was created within the framework of the project “Improving the Media Sector’s Legal Framework and Economic Status” implemented by the Association of Independent Press (API).  This project is part of the Strengthening Civil Society Monitoring Capacity in Moldova (SCSMCM) program, implemented by the Academy for Educational Development (AED) with technical assistance from the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX).  The SCSMCM program is funded by the Millennium Challenges Corporation (MCC) and managed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) within the framework of the Threshold Country Program (TCP) for Moldova. The PPWG gathers together 21 representatives of media institutions and public officials, and seeks to elaborate concrete recommendations for improving the framework for mass media in Moldova in accordance with the Threshold Country Program.  The general objective of the PPWG is to build and develop a transparent dialogue between public and private sectors to enhance mass media’s capacity to monitor public policies, especially with regard to corruption and access to information.