The Electronic Media Association, uniting 29 television and radio companies, has stated that the Teleradio-Moldova public company keeps on working and covering the situation in Moldova the way dictated by the Communist authorities.

APEL convened a news conference in Infotag today, and made public its report, reading that during a period of January 3 through 31, an absolute majority of news cast by the TRM company presented a coverage of events in Moldova in a positive light, and only occasionally - in neutral colors. That creates a semblance of well-being, of a society without problems, contradictions or antagonisms - a rosy picture in the interests of the ruling party on the election eve.

APEL experts believe the public is thus misled, and the taxpayers' right to objective information is violated. Besides this, the Association underlined that programs broadcast by the National Television and National Radio involve practically no representatives of the civil society, that news programs are very far from political pluralism, and that emphasis in them is placed mostly on ruling party's officials and their achievements.

APEL will continue its monitoring of the Teleradio-Moldova public company till June 30, 2005, and will be publishing its reports monthly. The project is financed by the Soros Moldova Foundation.