Today the European
Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European group of the International
Federation of Journalists, rejected the idea that media are a potential threat
to national security in Romania.
"We understand that
, in Romania
like in any other country, terrorism, crime and corruption pose a threat to the public and the government , but we are puzzled to hear that media could be
added to a list of threats to public institutions," said EFJ President
Arne König. "Media are an essential part of the democratic life; they help
investigating precisely threats to the public and we hope the Romanian
Presidency will realise this mistake."
The National Defence
Strategy, recently initiated by the President of Romania, was adopted by the Romanian Supreme Defence
Council (CSAT) and submitted to the Parliament yesterday, 23 June 2010. According
to this Strategy, media are at the heart of "orchestrated campaigns that
denigrate state institutions by disseminating false information" with a
view to slandering the state institutions.
The EFJ supports a broad
coalition that includes its affiliate, the Romanian Journalists Federation
MediaSind, and which strongly opposes the proposals made by the CSAT.
Journalists' role is to
inform the public and to investigate on various issues, including potential
threats to institutions, says the EFJ. To this end, there is a risk that
governments or public institutions are criticised in the process, but the greatest
risk is taken by those courageous journalists who investigate crime and
corruption.
The EFJ refutes any
allegations that the aim of journalists is to "orchestrate campaigns"
and condemns the approach taken by the CSAT Strategy. It calls on the Romanian
Parliament to amend the document by respecting the role of media in democracy.
For more
information contact the EFJ at +32 2 235 2200
The EFJ represents over 250,000 journalists in over 30 countries in Europe
