Teleradio-Moldova could launch a TV channel in Russian
The Public Broadcaster "Teleradio-Moldova" could launch a new television channel exclusively in Russian. A legislative initiative in this regard was announced on March 12 by Eugeniu Sinchevici and Natalia Davidovici, deputies from the ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS). The authors of the project argue that the new TV channel will provide an alternative source of information for Russian speakers in the Republic of Moldova and help combat disinformation.
"In the Republic of Moldova, communication in Russian does not lack—on the contrary, there is a lot of it. Unfortunately, much of it comes from unofficial and obscure sources that manipulate and mislead people. Many Russian-language media sources have a clear agenda of undermining the state and harming our society. Some are controlled by an aggressor state and promote content that disrespects our people. Regardless of the language they speak, all citizens should be informed and aware of state policies," said PAS deputy Eugeniu Sinchevici.
Arcadie Gherasim, President of the Supervisory and Development Council (CSD) of Teleradio-Moldova, believes that a Russian-language TV channel is essential for properly informing citizens who have "been exposed to disinformation for three decades." According to him, Russian-speaking citizens in Moldova need an official and trustworthy source that provides information in an accessible way.
"This is necessary, first and foremost, for accurate information, particularly for our citizens in the eastern districts of Moldova. The Russian-speaking population should have a credible, official source that delivers information in a linguistically accessible way. This will allow people to have a channel that speaks to them in their language. I don’t see this as a threat or a compromise of principles. Parliament is simply providing people with an alternative," said Gherasim.
On the other hand, Petru Macovei, director of the Association of Independent Press, expressed skepticism about the ruling party’s initiative.
"There was a recent parliamentary meeting where we opposed this proposal. We believe that public funds could be better used to find other ways to inform our Russian-speaking citizens rather than creating a new TV channel."
Although he welcomes the idea of launching a Russian-language channel, independent deputy Gaik Vartanean, who entered Parliament on the Socialist Party’s lists, expressed regret that the initiative is coming in an election year. However, he believes that if the new channel provides balanced and high-quality content, offering multiple perspectives, it could be a positive step.
"It’s good that the authorities are finally paying more attention to the fact that 34% of the country’s population speaks Russian. If we look at the languages used on social media, the percentage is even higher. So, we welcome this initiative. I believe that some Russian speakers will watch this channel. I just hope it won’t become propaganda for the ruling party. I expect to see different politicians, experts, and analysts invited to offer diverse opinions."
Attempts to get a comment from the largest opposition parliamentary faction, the Bloc of Communists and Socialists, were unsuccessful.
We remind you that after more than 30 years, at the beginning of February, the public television channel Moldova 1 was included in the cable TV lineup in the Transnistrian region.
