TV Coverage of Minorities: The Need to Reject the Stereotypes and Demonstrate the Diverse Reality

TV Coverage of Minorities: The Need to Reject the Stereotypes and Demonstrate the Diverse Reality

Ofently Equality Council states discrimination towards representatives of ethnic, linguistic and religious minority groups in the country. In Moldova, there have been committed hate crimes and offences, for example against Jews and Africans. Negative speeches against Muslims and Arabs, immigrants and refugees are presented in inter-election, electoral and pre-electoral periods. Many times, authors of these discourses are politicians and mass media.

In this regard, Equality Council took part in monitoring mass-media activity, the results of which have been presented in the intermediary report n the 1st phase of the TV channels monitoring during November – December 2018 as part of the “Elections and Minorities” Project. The experts have monitored the informational and analytical on three national TV channels (Moldova 1, PRIME and Jurnal TV) and one TV channel, which broadcasting at the regional level (GRT – TV Gagauzia).

TV data hasn’t shown a direct hate speech. However, it was discovered cases with inappropriate of misrepresentation of minorities.

Conclusions and recommendations:

– Moldovan TV channels need to change their approach for TV coverage of various ethnic and linguistic minorities and to adopt human rights-based policy;

– Moldovan TV channels should take into consideration the Equality Council’s decisions  in order to eliminate and to stop vicious practices;

– All TV stations require an equally serious institutional reflection on the subject of religious (and non-religious) minorities and require to develop and to adopt human rights-based policy;

– Absolutely it is essential to develop and to adopt a special gender-based policy.

The next Monitoring Report of the “Elections and Minorities” project will be presented in February 2019.

 “Elections and Minorities” project is implemented by CIDO with the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in cooperation with the Equality Council and the Youth Platform for Ethnic Solidarity.