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Press in MoldovaThe history of the Moldavian press begins in
1790 when the first official periodical Curier
de Moldavie (Moldavian Herald), in the French language, was
initiated in the city of Yassy near
the Russian Army Headquarters. The periodical was dislocated to
the territory of the MoldavianKnighthood after the Russo-Turkish
war of 1787-1791. In 1829, famous writer Georgi Asaki
introduced to the public the first newspaper (Albina Romanesca,
or Romanian Bee) in the
native Romanian language. It was published in Yassy every two
days on four pages.
The first magazine Kishinevskie Eparkhi al'nye Vedomosti
(Official Reports of Kishineu Parish)
which appeared in 1867, both in Russian and Romanian languages
had religious orientations. In
1917, it changed its name to Golos Pravoslavnoi Bessarabskoi
Tserkvi(Voice of Bessarabian
Orthodox Church).
The history of private press begins with theBessarabski Vestnik
(Bessarabian Herald) which
was published on a weekly basis in the city of Chisinau in 1889
by Elizabeth Sokolova, the wife
of the local high official. Along with the official reports, it
placed articles reflecting the social,
political, and economic life of the province; literary essays;
and humor stories. The weekly
leaned toward democratic circles of the Bessarabian society.
Most popular newspapers and magazines
Two newspapers stand out on the media scene; Moldova Suverena
(Sovereign Moldova), with acirculation of 7,000 copies, in
Romanian, andNezavisimaya Moldova (Independent Moldova),with a
circulation of 10,500 copies in Russian. Both support the party in
power and the politicalforces associated with it. This was borne
out in 2001 parliamentary elections, when they bothupheld the
political alliance headed by the Prime Minister Dmitry Bragish.
The right spectrum of the Moldavian press is represented by the
dailyFlux,which is consideredthe most influential newspaper in the
Romanian language (36,000 copies). It expresses theoutlook of the
pro-Romanian circles in the country under the leadership of Yuri
Poshka, theChairperson of Christian-Democratic People Party. The
independentJurnal de Chisinau at11,000 copies, and Tara (Country)
at 7,500 copies, both in Romanian, andNovoe Vremya (NewTime) at
10,000 copies, published in Russian by the Democratic Party, can
also be numberedamong this spectrum.
The Romanian-language weeklySaptamina(Week), 17,400 copies,
represents the politicalviewsof the centrist movements and adheres
to the party in power. It was founded in 1992.
Kishinevskie Novosti(Chisinau News), 8,400 copies, adheres to
the left. Since its foundation in
1991, it remains one of three most popular newspapers published
in Russian. It successfullycombines information with
advertisements, allocating balanced space to classified ads and
toinformation on serious and light aspects of life in the
capital.
The Communist Party of Moldova disseminates 25,000 copies of the
newspaper Communist,both in Romanian and Russian, which was
published once a week until 2001 and twice a weeksince then. The
publication enjoys popularity predominantly among the Party
supporters andelderly generation. Over time, it has become less
orthodox in expressing Communist views andideology.The extreme
political orientation of many national newspapers makes it
difficult for the readersto form an objective opinion on the events
in the country, since very few individuals, due to thepresent
severe financial constraints, can afford to buy a diverse array of
publications. The
population is equally as swayed in the remote rural areas where
they predominantly read pressmaterials, listen to radio programs,
and watch TV shows produced by local companies.
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There are also periodicals for various sub-groups of the
population. Some of them targetchildren and teenagers,Noi(We), in
Romanian;Drug (Friend), in Russian and a privatemagazine Welcome
Moldova , in English; or youth Tineretul Moldovei(Young Moldavian),
inRomanian andOtechestvo (Fatherland), in Russian; and others are
designed for women. Most ofthe press comes from Romania, Russia,
and Ukraine. There are also a variety of periodicalsdevoted to
sports, hobbies, and recreation. Among the sports periodicals
areRest with Soccer ,Sport Plus, andSport-Curier .
On the territory of self-proclaimed Pri-Dnestr Moldavian
Republic, the mass media work understrict state censorship. Most of
them keep to pro-government orientation.PridnestrovskayaPravda
(Pri-Dnestr Truth) andPridnestrovie (Pri-Dnestr) are the most known
in that area.
Education and Training
Until 2001, Moldova State University had been the only
educational institution that preparedthe journalist cadres for the
country in both Romanian and Russian languages. Between 1966and
2002, 1,500 journalists graduated from the University. In 2001,
departments of journalismwere launched in two private institutions,
the International Independent University and SlavicUniversity.
