Mass media of Transnistria

Last updated

The mass media of Transnistria , the breakaway territory within the borders of Moldova, features both state-owned or supported outlets and opposition media. Publications are in Russian, with a single newspaper in each of the other two official languages, Moldovan (Romanian), and Ukrainian.

Contents

Media outlets

Transnistria has 14 newspapers, including several daily papers. Some print media does not have a large circulation, and only appears on a weekly or monthly basis. The oldest newspaper is the Dnestrovskaya Pravda , founded in 1941 in Tiraspol.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development claims that the media climate in Transnistria is restrictive and that authorities of both banks of Dniester engage in efforts to silence their respective opposition. [1]

In 2005, according to the U.S. Department of State, authorities harassed independent newspapers when they criticized the Transnistrian government. Most Moldovan newspapers did not circulate widely in Transnistria, although they were available in Tiraspol. [2]

However, several opposition newspapers exist in Transnistria. They include Rîbnița-based Dobry Den, Chelovek i ego prava (Man and His Rights), Novaya Gazeta from Bender, Russian Proriv! , Profsoyuznye Vesti and Glas Naroda.

The Tiraspol Times was an English-language website. Article from it were always featured in the official website Pridnestrovie.net.

Newspapers published by the government or in favour of the government include Trudovoi Tiraspol , Pridnestrovye, Novy Dnestrovskiy Kuryer, Gomin (in Ukrainian), Adevărul Nistrean (in Moldovan, but written in the Cyrillic alphabet).

Radio broadcasting

A state owned radio station, "Radio PMR", broadcasts both via FM and on frequency 7290 kHz shortwave, 41 meter band, as well as via the Internet. Four privately owned commercial radio stations broadcast on FM from Transnistria. They are: "Inter FM", "Dynamite FM", "EnergyRadio.FM", "Frequence3". The owners of opposition newspaper "Novaia Gazeta" plan to establish an independent radio station. [3]

Television broadcasting

There are four TV channels in Transnistria. Two of them are local (to Tiraspol and Tighina/Bender), while two of them cover all of Transnistria.

Television in Transnistria was for a long time dominated by the public service company TV PMR. In 1998, Transnistria's first commercial channel, TSV (Television of Free Choice) was started. [4] Cable television operator "MultiTV" carries 24 television channels for its "premium" package and 5 channels for "social" package. [5] Moldovan TV stations from outside Transnistria are not available through cable but can be seen via an aerial. However ProTV and NIT, two private channels based in Chişinău, was introduced to on most cable networks in Transnistria from September 2009 and 1 November 2007 respectively.

Telecommunications

Internet

Internet media is both stateowned and privately operated. In Russian, the websites include Dniester.Ru (news agency), Olvia Press (official state news agency), Tiraspol Info (news aggregator), Pridnestrovie.info. Many political organizations and government departments also have their own news services and online news pages, not listed here. [6]

dniester.ru has been blocked by Transnistrian authorities since November 8, 2012 according to the website.

In August 2014, Yevgeny Shevchuk issued a decree on combating extremism that empowered the Transnistrian KGB to request the prosecutor's office to block internet content. Authorities would take such a determination following a review by a panel appointed by the KGB. [7]

Media freedom and pluralism

Transnistrian media environment is restrictive, and is dominated numerically by state-owned media (e.g. Pridnestrovie and Dnestrovskaya Pravda, which are the region major newspapers [7] ), or by media controlled through public institutions, such as State Tele-radio Company and State Service media. They are subsidized, heavily politicized, and do not criticize the authorities. [8] [9] [10]

Sheriff company dominates the private media market, including private broadcasting, cable television, and internet service. [8] Sheriff represents a "so-called opposition" according to IPRE. [9] According to an IREX report they serve the interest of the company. [10]

There are some independent newspapers or magazines, with small circulation [8] and little advertising, [10] but they have been able to create a space of freedom of expression. [9] They receive threats from the authorities, that sometimes even take direct control. [7]

The government hinders critical media and journalists are intimidated. [9] Since 2014 government agencies, private organizations, and citizens are required to report instances of "extremist" material online. [9] Journalists expressing opinions different from those of the media owners are easily dismissed. [10] Self-censorship is practised, with local press avoiding subjects questioning the Transnistrian goal of independence or criticizing the pro-Russian foreign policy. [7]

Media of Moldova have little presence in Transnistria, [9] being available mainly in Tiraspol. [7] Moldovan channels are blocked. Moldovan journalists need accreditation to enter the country, and they are sometimes denied entrance or detained. [8]

In 2015 activist and journalist Serghei Ilcenko was detained for four months. [10] [11] The Transnistrian KGB then warned other activists who were accused of having posted "extremist messages" on the internet and, in general, warned internet users to trust only official sources, and not to contest Transnistrian independence. [7]

On September 1, 2014 Transnistrian police detained a television crew from Publika TV while travelling to a school in Corjova village to produce a piece on the first day of school at a Latin script school. Transnistrian police detained the crew on the grounds that they lacked a special authorization from the Transnistrian Security Service. After a few hours of interrogation, police released the crew. [7]

In April, 2022, American journalist Collin Mayfield was detained by Transnistrian police before being strip searched and interrogated at the Ministry of State Security (MGB) headquarters in Tiraspol. Mayfield, who had previously been covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was deported to Moldova on charges of violating a 2016 media law against criticizing Russian troops in Transnistria. [12]

Transnistrian propaganda

In 2006, The Economist reported that an alleged propagandistic campaign, aimed at English-speaking audience had been underway. This was done through an agency entitled the "International Council for Democratic Institutions and State Sovereignty" (ICDISS). [13] It was claimed in The Economist that the ICDISS had links to a number of English-language websites that were all pro-Transnistrian but had very few details about how and where they are produced. In particular, it highlighted the Wikipedia article on the group, Pridnestrovie.net and Visitpmr.com. The latter two are both described as "propaganda sites for Transdniestria". [14] pridnestrovie.net and visitpmr.com have acknowledged help from the ICDISS [15] . [16] The ICDISS email is run by someone self-named Ms Stephenson, also interviewed in tiraspoltimes.com.

International Council for Democratic Institutions and State Sovereignty

The council is credited with producing a report in support of Transdniestrian independence. All but one of the alleged authors of the report has since denied involvement in the study. The case has provoked suspicions among Western officials like Louis O'Neill, the head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova. Journalist Edward Lucas, who wrote the original "Economist" story about the organization, says he could find little information about the think tank. "What's really remarkable is that nobody's been able to produce any credible proof or verifiable proof that they have any existence," Lucas says., [13] [17]

Pridnestrovie.net

The websites quote a number of Westerners marvelling at Tiraspol's new football stadium or saying Transdniester is the French Riviera compared to Moldova proper. [18]

Quotes from the site:
It has a free market economy, 200% growth, and a multi-party democracy with the opposition in control of parliament.

Tiraspol Times (tiraspoltimes.com)

Tiraspol Times was a short lived (2006–2008) English language news provider focused on Transnistria. It published an online newspaper, a free news feed service, and, according to its own site, a weekly colour magazine and a print newspaper in tabloid format available at "select locations" in Transnistria, but not abroad and with no subscription available. It professed to be "committed to the truth" and whose content was largely dedicated to effusive praise of the government or endorsing independence. [19]

Online texts by the Tiraspol Times were licensed as freely distributable. Articles from it have been reprinted by UNPO and by the United Nations' Global Action on Aging, [20] as well as various news organizations.

Tiraspol Times has been criticised as being strongly biased in favour of the Transnistrian authorities and Transnistrian independence. [21] A report in the Economist described it as part of a concerted online campaign to promote Transnistria through expertly produced websites, saying that its background and funding were largely undisclosed. [14]

The Radio Free Europe claims that its content was "largely dedicated to effusive praise of the government or endorsing independence", [21] while the Economist associates them with ICDISS, which it alleges is an astroturfing attempt. Economist also names Tiraspol Times an online magazine produced "expertly, but mysteriously, in support of the authorities". [14]

The site published few ads and its funding sources are not known. Edward Lucas, a journalist for Economist, suggested it could have received its funding either from the government, from Vladimir Antyufeyev's State Security Committee or from one of the Transnistrian companies. [21] This claim proved to be incorrect as it was in fact owned and funded by Desmond Grant, a prominent Irish newspaper publisher.

Tom de Waal, a London-based journalist and author, was outraged to see an article under his name appear on the "Tiraspol Times" website. "I've certainly never been to Pridnestrovie, Transdneister, or Moldova, and I am certainly not arguing, as is written under my name, that Pridnestrovie has a better case for independence than Kosovo," de Waal said. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Moldova</span>

The politics of Moldova take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, wherein the prime minister is the head of the Government of Moldova, and a multi-party system. The President of Moldova has no important powers. The government exercises executive power while the legislative power is vested in the Parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The position of the breakaway region of Transnistria, relations with Romania and with Russia, and integration into the EU dominate political discussions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiraspol</span> Capital and largest city of Transnistria

Tiraspol is the capital and largest city of Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the third-largest city. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of culture, economy, tourism, and light industry, such as furniture and electrical goods production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transnistria</span> Unrecognised state in Eastern Europe

Transnistria, or Pridnestrovie, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is a breakaway state internationally recognized as part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester river and the Moldova–Ukraine border, as well as some land on the other side of the river's bank. Its capital and largest city is Tiraspol. Transnistria is officially designated by the Republic of Moldova as the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester or as Stînga Nistrului.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igor Smirnov (politician)</span> First President of Transnistria

Igor Nikolaevich Smirnov is a Russian-born Transnistrian politician who served as the first president (1991–2011) of the internationally unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transnistria War</span> 1990–1992 conflict between Moldova and Russian-backed self-proclaimed Transnistria

The Transnistrian War was an armed conflict that broke out on 2 November 1990 in Dubăsari between pro-Transnistria forces, including the Transnistrian Republican Guard, militia and neo-Cossack units, which were supported by elements of the Russian 14th Army, and pro-Moldovan forces, including Moldovan troops and police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transnistria conflict</span> Conflict between Moldova and its breakaway region of Transnistria since 1990

The Transnistria conflict is an ongoing frozen conflict between Moldova and the unrecognized state of Transnistria. Its most active phase was the Transnistria War. There have been several attempts to resolve the conflict, although none have been successful. The conflict may be considered as having started on 2 September 1990, when Transnistria made a formal sovereignty declaration from Moldova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Transnistria</span>

This is the history of Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester river and the Moldovan–Ukrainian border, as well as some land on the other side of the river's bank.

This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Transnistria, an unrecognized breakaway territory of Moldova and the de facto independent Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.

Although most commonly known in English as Transnistria, the official name of the region is Pridnestrovie. Here is a detailed explanation of the names used for Transnistria, both official and unofficial, as they appear in the local languages and in English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Transnistria</span>

The state of affairs with human rights in Transnistria has been criticized by several governments and international organizations. The Republic of Moldova, and other states and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claim that the government of Transnistria is authoritarian and has a record of arbitrary arrest and torture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian military presence in Transnistria</span> Russian forces present in the Moldovan region of Transnistria

The Russian Federation holds an unknown number of soldiers in Transnistria, an unrecognized breakaway state internationally recognized as part of Moldova. This Russian military presence dates back to 1992, when the 14th Guards Army intervened in the Transnistria War in support of the Transnistrian separatist forces. Following the end of the war, which ended in a Russian-backed Transnistrian victory and in the de facto independence of the region, the Russian forces stayed in a purportedly peacekeeping mission and reorganized in 1995 into the Operational Group of Russian Forces (OGRF), currently guarding the Cobasna ammunition depot. Some other Russian soldiers also participate in the Joint Control Commission between Moldova, Russia and Transnistria since 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transnistrian Communist Party</span> Political party in Transnistria

The Transnistrian Communist Party is a communist party in the unrecognized state of Transnistria. The party was led by Oleg Khorzhan until his arrest and imprisonment in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime in Transnistria</span>

Crime in Transnistria covers criminality-related incidents in the breakaway Republic of Transnistria, still nominally part of Moldova. The police organisations of Transnistria are tasked with fighting crime in the republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Transnistria War</span> A chronological list of incidents related to the Transnistria War

This timeline of events is a chronological list of incidents and other notable occurrences related to the War of Transnistria, including events leading up to the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Transnistria</span> Overview of and topical guide to Transnistria

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Transnistria:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armed Forces of Transnistria</span> Military forces of the state of Transnistria

The Armed Forces of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic are the military forces of the unrecognized state of Transnistria. The Armed Forces fall under the leadership of the Ministry of Defence. The Armed Forces were created on 6 September 1991 to maintain the sovereignty and independence of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, in accordance with Article 11 of the Republic's Constitution.

Ernest Vardanean is a journalist and political scientist who lives in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria. He was arrested on 7 April 2010 by the self-proclaimed forces in Tiraspol charged of high treason in favor of the Republic of Moldova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenta PMR News Agency</span> Moldovan news agency

The news agency Lenta PMR was a non-governmental, nationwide online news service disseminating news from Transnistria, Moldova and abroad.

The First Transnistrian or First Pridnestrovian, also known as TV PMR, is a public television channel from Transnistria, an unrecognized republic internationally recognized as part of Moldova. It began broadcasting on 9 August 1992 and is available in the Moldovan (Romanian), Russian and Ukrainian languages. It was established by the Government of Transnistria and the Supreme Council to replace Moldovan media that allegedly spread "distorted facts" and "blocked the transmission of reliable information about events in the region".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Konoplev</span> Russian writer, journalist, political and public figure.

Roman Yevgenyevich Konoplev is a Russian and Transnistrian political and public figure, strategist, publicist, writer, now resident in Portugal.

References

  1. ↑ "OSCE Mission to Moldova". osce.org . Archived from the original on June 10, 2007.
  2. ↑ Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs. "Moldova". 2001-2009.state.gov.
  3. ↑ Mihai Grecu: "The Policy of Linguistic Cleansing in Transnistria", Institute of Political and Military Studies (Chisinau, Moldova - 2005)
  4. ↑ "TV and Radio: freedom of speech? | Pridnestrovie.net - Tiraspol, PMR: Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica (Transnistria)". February 21, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-02-21.
  5. ↑ "MultiChannel Television channel listings". Archived from the original on 2007-07-02. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  6. ↑ "PMR web directory". Archived from the original on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015 - Moldova". U.S. State Department. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Transnistria * - Country report - Freedom in the World - 2016". Freedom House. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chiveri, Valeriu (2016-06-23). "Study: The media situation, perspectives, contacts and mutual perception between journalists from both banks of Nistru River". IPRE. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Media Sustainability Index Moldova (PDF) (Report). IREX. 2016. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  11. ↑ "Journalist jailed on extremism charges in Moldova's Transdniester region". CPJ. March 26, 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "War Will Decide the Fate of Transnistria". 19 July 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Disinformation". The Economist. August 3, 2006.
  14. 1 2 3 Economist, "Disinformation: Covering tracks - How to disguise, inflate and disappear on the internet" , 3 August 2006
  15. ↑ "WHOIS on Pridnestrovie.net". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
  16. ↑ "WHOIS on Visitpmr.com". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-21.
  17. ↑ "ICDISS: International Council for Democratic Institutions and State Sovereignty". April 2, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-04-02.
  18. ↑ "{{Dead link|date=July 2011}}". Archived from the original on 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  19. ↑ "Tiraspol Times & Weekly Review". May 14, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-05-14.
  20. ↑ "Moldova: Parliament Takes on Smirnov Over Pension Reform" Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine , October 10, 2006
  21. 1 2 3 Radio Free Europe , "Moldova: In Cyberspace, Transdniester Doesn't Look That Bad", 15 September 2006
  22. ↑ Allnutt, Luke (8 April 2008). "Transdniester On The Web | Break dancers and beauty contests". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Media websites

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.