Like the country itself, the media landscape is polarised and marked by the influence of Ilan Shor, a pro-Kremlin oligarch who has gone into exile to escape prosecution on corruption charges. The media empire built in recent years by companies linked to Shor has been weakened by the suspension of the licences of six channels, including TV6 and Orizont TV, in December 2022 and November 2023. The licences of four other channels linked to Vladimir Plahotniuc, an oligarch and former Democratic Party of Moldova leader, also in exile, were also suspended in November 2023. The content of these media outlets has migrated online to their websites and social media.

While some media risk taking on issues that are embarrassing for the authorities, many limit themselves to following the political agenda of the party to which they are affiliated. The state of emergency imposed because of Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine was used by the authorities to suspend the licences of several TV channels on the eve of elections in 2023, without adequate transparency about the grounds for this decision. Measures taken by the Audiovisual Council have tightened control over disinformation and hate speech, and have weakened media outlets that broadcast propaganda content produced in Russia.

Freedom of the press and the right to information are guaranteed by law, and best practices are encouraged by a journalistic code of ethics. But access to information is sometimes undermined, and arbitrary defamation lawsuits are frequent. The rapid and non-transparent changes to legislation at the end of 2023, with the aim of blocking channels whose licences were suspended during the state of emergency, are concerning.

Faced with a difficult economic environment and weakened by the collapse of the advertising market due to the war in Ukraine, independent media outlets lack resources and experience financial difficulties. As a result, they struggle to recruit qualified staff capable of providing quality work, and many seek financial support from foreign donors.

While the socio-cultural environment rarely prevents journalists from doing their jobs, some topics, such as the war waged by Russia in Ukraine, are sensitive. Covering these topics can lead to self-censorship, as well as to disparagement of media on ethnic, religious or gender-based grounds.

Journalists can be the target of insults and intimidation by politicians. Their supporters sometimes resort to cyber-harassment against reporters deemed hostile to their ideas. Journalists’ access to Transnistria, a separatist eastern province supported by Russia, is subject to special accreditation.