Romania

[RO] Audiovisual Media Have to Publish Codes of Editorial Conduct

IRIS 2011-6:1/27

Eugen Cojocariu

Radio Romania International

The Consiliul Naţional al Audiovizualului (National Council for Electronic Media - CNA) decided on 14 April 2011 (Decision no. 286) to request audiovisual media service providers to publish their professional codes of conduct, if such codes exist, according to Art. 6 (5) of the Legea Audiovizualului nr. 504/2002 (Audiovisual Law 504/2002; see inter alia IRIS 2010-10/38 and IRIS 2010-8/42).

Within 30 days of the publication of the Decision in the Official Journal of Romania, the above-mentioned providers are obliged to publish permanently on the homepage of their websites, in a well visible place, the information under Art. 48 of the Legea Audiovizualului as well as the postal and online address of the CNA. Art. 48 obliges providers to ensure easy, direct and permanent public access to a minimum set of details on the company, inter alia: the name, legal status, headquarters, legal representative, certain shareholders, the right to vote of a society holding an audiovisual license, names of the company’s managers and the persons editorially responsible and the list of programme services provided.

The Decision intends to allow the CNA to more easily identify intrusion into editorial policies and comes shortly after suspicions and accusations of alleged management censorship and intrusion into the editorial policies of two important Romanian television news channels, Antena 3 and Realitatea TV.

The top management of Realitatea TV was accused of interference in editorial activities due to the sudden cancellation of a political show and of changing the editorial management without any right. At the same time, the CNA complained about the lack of clear and concrete information on the responsibilities of each representative of Realitatea TV. The management of Antena 3 was accused of censorship and intrusion into the editorial activity mainly due to a cancelled interview with Romania’s President on the Libyan situation. The owners of the two stations are Romanian tycoons involved in an open conflict with the President. The codes of conduct are a set of deontological values and functional rules to allow an easier identification of intrusion into editorial policy.

Discussions are underway to modify Law 504/2002, including Art. 6, which forbids censorship and editorial intrusion, but imposes no sanctions. At the same time, the CNA also wishes to modify the Audiovisual Code to enforce the provisions that guarantee non-intrusion into editorial policies. The CNA announced that all must-carry stations shall be monitored.