Journalists from various media (TV, Radio, Printed and Online) as well as employees of the Department of Communication, Public Relations and Media, of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova, took part in a two-day Electoral School for Journalists. The event aiming at informing journalists about the recent changes proposed to the Electoral Code, was organised by the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau and the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova (CEC).
"The electoral school for journalists is an opportunity to increase knowledge and to discuss the role of electoral competitors and the media in ensuring an electoral campaign without disinformation. In the long term, this activity contributes to the strengthening of co-operation between the Central Electoral Commission, civil society and the media for the promotion of democracy in accordance with the standards of the Council of Europe, especially those contained in the Toolkit on "Monitoring of Media Coverage of Elections", declared Giulia Re, Deputy head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau.
During the workshop, journalists studied in depth the electoral reform, the digitisation of the electoral processes, as well as how to avoid miscommunication between political parties and mass media during the electoral campaigns. Likewise, they learnt about the piloting and advantages of the Internet voting information system, which is about to be launched. Finally, importance of building solid communication bridges between mass media and the CEC, as a pre-condition for an objective and unbiased coverage of the electoral campaigns, was raised.
"The electoral school gave me the opportunity to discuss in detail the changes brought by the new Electoral Code, as well as to meet some members of the CEC. I appreciate the level of organisation of the training through the quality of the trainers. The discussions had an open and participatory character, as well as a friendly atmosphere, which the organisers took care of. As a special correspondent at the Public Radio Broadcaster, I will use the information in the news that I am going to make", said Olga Stavila, special correspondent at Radio Moldova, Public Institution "Teleradio-Moldova".
This activity was organised within the Council of Europe Project Improving Electoral Practice in the Republic of Moldova, Phase II.
