Independent Press Association

The Independent Press Association grew out of a small and inconspicuous meeting in the winter of 1997. At that time, there were a few small local papers struggling to grow and become quality local press. The initial meeting was a foreign consultant's attempt to bring together these few newspapers and two press agencies to exchange experience and information. They liked the idea and continued to meet. Over the course of a few months this small network attracted more newspapers and decided to formally register as an NGO on September 29, 1997. During the months before registration and since the Association's official registration, the members have worked together on a variety of projects, all focused on building the Association, its members, and as a result, a stronger objective press in Moldova. Members have coordinated the purchase of newsprint, working together to find the best price and highest quality by searching and negotiating as a block. They have held round table discussions for local press in four regions and invited press from throughout the country, beginning an important dialogue about the role of independent press and press as a business in Moldova.

The Independent Press Association is busy in 1999, due to several strong projects developed by API, and supported by international aid organizations. First we are coordinating, with the support of the Eurasia Foundation, a series of round table discussions on independent media in different regions of Moldova, to which representatives from all types of news media are invited. The Open Society Institute, Budapest and the Soros Foundation of Moldova are supporting an advertising program which has already paid dividends in the early stages. This advertising strategy leverages the unique market penetration the combined membership represents outside of Chisinau to attract advertising from businesses, most of which reside in Chisinau. A digital photography project, supported by USIS, has provided API members with digital cameras, giving local newspapers an instant boost in quality and reader appreciation.

The project which will provide the glue for current and future API projects is an internet and email system for API members, funded by the Open Society Institute, Budapest. Once all members have been set up with email, we will use this to distribute information among members much more efficiently than currently possible. Members will utilize file attachments for distribution of advertisements, syndicated columns, news services, and correspondence.

And finally, API members will be working with newspapers specialists from the United States, sponsored by USIS. Experts in areas like electronic page layout, advertising, and journalism ethics will work with API members throughout 1999.

B. Scope of the Association

The Independent Press Association is dedicated to bringing together and developing Moldova's independent and objective press. Association membership requires that all members be independent and objective press, defined by the statute as organizations that:

are not state owned or politically funded
are engaged in fact based publishing, reporting all facts
separate clearly fact and opinion.

The members and the Association are dedicated to the development of objective press in Moldova, through

the facilitation of a better exchange of experience and information amongst members, and the independent press community.
the improvement of journalists' knowledge of objective press programs, activities and present conditions for objective press.
the collaborative resolution of problems that members have found difficult to resolve on an individual basis.

This information was posted to CCSI's Organizational Guestbook May 1999.

Last updated:    June 1999

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