Media campaign „Journalists Against Corruption”
Chisinau, December 9, 2009- Journalistic Investigation Center and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Moldova launches today, December 9, media campaign „Journalists Against Corruption” on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day. The campaign is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy.
The purpose of the media campaign "Journalists Against Corruption" is to encourage journalists to investigate issues related to corruption and to guide, motivate citizens, businessmen and representatives of NGOs to become more active in the fight against corruption. Disclosure in the press of several cases of corruption will help citizens become active, not to tolerate corruption acts and demand the authorities to take concrete action upon citizens and the press notifications. Team of Journalistic Investigation Center will notify anticorruption institutions about all cases of corruption publicized in the press. Cases potentially falling within the category "corruption" will be monitored beginning with the appearance of referral in the press and ending with bringing to justice those responsible.
Journalistic Investigation Center will support journalists to carry out the surveys on issues of corruption. A lawyer involved in the project will provide legal advice to journalists, will read the investigations before publication and, if necessary, will go into journalists trials, aroused as a consequence of the investigations on corruption published in the press. Corruption and some corruption issues will be discussed in public meetings of Investigative Journalists' Club, which will take place monthly.
In the past corruption campaign, the Journalistic Investigation Centre team and journalists involved in CIN projects have made over 200 journalistic investigations on corruption and other abuses of public officials. Investigations can be found in Romanian, Russian and English on the site www.investigatii.md.
The first stage of the campaign "Journalists Against Corruption" IS INVESTIGATION PROJECT COMPETITION ON TOPICS OF CORRUPTION. Examining proposals received from investigative journalists from national and regional media were selected 5 projects, which will be given financial support to be realized. Journalists, projects that were selected are:
Tudor IAŞCENCO, publication "Cuvantul", Rezina;
Aneta GROSU, publication "Ziarul de Garda";
Pavel Paduraru and Ion SURDU, publication "Timpul de Dimineata",
Ion PREAŞCĂ, publication "ECOnomist Expert";
Ruslan MIHALEVSCHI, publication "SP" in Balti.
International Day of fight against corruption is marked, on UN decision, beginning with 2003, when it was signed the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). UN shows that fighting corruption is not only a matter of nations, but requires extensive international cooperation of different states. Transparency International has an important role in signing the agreement. It is worth to mention that the entire month of December, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in collaboration with several partners, will organize a series of events which will mark the International Anti-Corruption Day (www.unodc.org). They will aim raising awareness of the negative impact of corruption on citizens and society and, at the same time, promoting the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
ABOUT UNDP: UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. More about UNDP at www.undp.org and www.undp.md
ABOUT THE JOURNALISTIC INVESTIGATION CENTRE: Journalistic Investigation Centre is a media NGO, founded in 2003 to promote investigative journalism and professional values in mass communication realm and work towards recognizing the importance of mass media in the assertion of democratic freedoms, provides logistical and legal support to investigative journalists, conducts training courses for media and public of officials, conducts media campaigns, including public debates and investigative journalism on issues of public interest.
For details contact Journalistic Investigations Center, contact person Cornelia Cozonac, tel 220844, e-mail: info@investigatii.md, c_cozonac@yahoo.com
Republic of Moldova 
