Media

From the book “The EU and Romania: Great Expectations”

Title: “Civil Society and the Media in Romania”

Subtitle: From the book “The EU and Romania: Great Expectations”
Published by the Federal Trust (UK), editor D. Phinnemore
October 2006. Available on http://www.amazon.co.uk
In communist-era Romania, civil society and an independent media were recognised by the authorities as potential sources of challenge to the regime. They were therefore systematically stifled. Fifteen years since the demise of Ceausescu, the condition of Romanian civil society and of her media is now an indicator of the state of health of Romanian democracy.

The development of these two aspects of Romanian national life has not, however, been equally positive. The Romanian media remains a subject of continual controversy, but it has recently emerged from a long and dark period when its independence and integrity were under threat, and can now be said to be both free and dynamic. By contrast, civil society (with some honourable exceptions) remains generally weak and etiolated, partly due to overdependence on donor funds.

My own in-depth experience of these issues has largely come about through my work as rapporteur for Romania in the European Parliament (EP). EP reports on Romania’s progress towards EU membership have consistently focused on human rights and fundamental freedoms, with particular emphasis on freedom of media. My perspective is also very much informed by the issue of child protection, with which I have been closely involved for many years. The problem of child protection provides a telling illustration of the relationship between Romanian civil society and the media, and this chapter examines the issue closely.

Observing the Romanian media scene is as fascinating as was observing the media scene in London during the 1980s when Rupert Murdoch brought radical change to the way that newspapers were managed in the United Kingdom. Although Romania has not experienced such a violent and dramatic series of confrontations, the management and ownership changes that have taken place in Bucharest in recent years are equally dramatic in their own way, and observing how the media interacts with Romanian political life is particularly instructive.

To see full chapter see download below.