EIPM (European Initiative for Pluralism in Mass-Media) launched a petition to demand European institutions to vote legislative measures that will limit political and economic actors’ capacity to influence mass-media.

The petition is available on www.mediainitiative.eu.

EIPM is a pan-European coalition that reunites, besides citizens, 100 organizations, mass-media companies, independent journalists and professional associations.

“We tolerated for so long the guilty interventions of politic and economic actors in mass-media that this officially transformed into a “vulnerability of national safety” and “a menace for democracy”. It is the time to do something to protect mass-media’s liberty, if we really care about it. This time, we can do something ourselves, each of us. It is simple, handy and important”, Ioana Avadani, director Center for Independent Journalism and initiator of EIMP, said.

Mircea Toma (ActiveWatch) noted that “public or private, mass-media must serve public interest”, blamed media owners that are using the journalists to fight for their economic and politic interests.

“Concentration of mass-media properties must be limited by law in order to guarantee press’ freedom. Romanian citizens can make European decisions: free the press from tycoons. Urgently!”, Toma said.

The countries that participate to ECI launch are Belgium, France, Italy, UK, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Hungary.

Translation provided by AdHugger