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The Impact of Media Concentration on Professional ... - OSCE

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Dan Voiculescu who is reported to be a former Securitate <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ficer.He also owns the TV stati<strong>on</strong>s Antena 1 and the radio stati<strong>on</strong>Radio Romantic.<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> regi<strong>on</strong>al papers are especially suffering under pressurefrom local politicians and business. Advertisement revenue islow and regi<strong>on</strong>al dailies are dependent <strong>on</strong> adverts from Stateowned companies that are reported to <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ten use their financialpower to influence the editorial line <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the paper. In the forefr<strong>on</strong>t<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the 2004 electi<strong>on</strong>s 20 new regi<strong>on</strong>al dailies have alreadybeen founded.“MOONING” THE ROMANIAN MEDIAby Ioana Avadani, Director, Centre <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Independent JournalismLast week <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> October 2003: the workers in Brasov, protestingagainst the government, throw apples, milk bags and“mo<strong>on</strong>” the journalists there to cover the rally. It’s the firsttime ever in the post-1989 history <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Romanian mediathat this has happened and it has a deeper meaning than asimple case <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> disrespect.Ever since the toppling <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> communism, the media hasenjoyed a high credibility and the glamour <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the WhiteKnight. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>y were perceived as the piercing eye, the loudvoice, the scale <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Justice and the last comfort <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the afflicted.Year after year, media ranked high in the hierarchy <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> trustedinstituti<strong>on</strong>s: coming third, right after the Church and theArmy. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> newscasters have been the indisputable leaders <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>the TV audience.But something happened <strong>on</strong> the way to heaven. Less andless criticism appeared in the news, less and less investigativereporting, less and less oppositi<strong>on</strong> figures speaking theirminds in the media. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> hard news was replaced by the105 Der Spiegel “Zeitungsgeschäft in Osteuropa an Ringier verkauft” (24 October 2003)106 European Federati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Journalists, European <str<strong>on</strong>g>Media</str<strong>on</strong>g> Ownership: Threats <strong>on</strong> the Landscape.A Survey <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> who owns what in Europe (EFJ, Brussels, 2002) 21.COUNTRY REPORTS – ROMANIA 175

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