Press Freedom

The State of Mass Media in Romania

The Romanian media is going through a turbulent period, marked by rapid and often disruptive transformations, both nationally and internationally.

The Center for Independent Journalism's reports on the state of the press in Romania from 2020 to 2024 analyze in detail the challenges, vulnerabilities and unprecedented pressures under which the media operates at the national level. They also show how political parties and the government apparatus (local or central) use public funds to finance the media, influencing content and massively distorting the advertising market. This practice contributes substantially to the erosion of public trust in the Romanian media, which is already facing unprecedented challenges and competition from social networks and their algorithms.

This report is a synthesis of the analyses of the last four years and presents an up-to-date scan of the Romanian media landscape – a fragile system trying to survive in a distorted market, in the midst of the revolution of digital technologies that are capturing the public.

The first and most important alarm signal: the Romanian media financing system is deeply unbalanced and vulnerable. Excessive dependence on public funds, in various forms (disguised subsidies, non-transparent advertising from the government and political parties) significantly erodes editorial independence.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this dependence through financial support programs that, initially well-intentioned, have created a dangerous precedent and are generating a major imbalance in the advertising market. The massive allocation of public funds to the media has distorted competition, favoring large players and creating dependence, to the detriment of independent media and investigative journalism.

Financing from political parties, with limited transparency and susceptible to manipulation, deepens the problem. While the commercial advertising market exists, it fails to compensate for the lack of balance generated by public funding, affecting the media's ability to fulfill their essential roles in a democratic society: that of oversight of power.

Threats to journalists and freedom of expression

Pressures on journalists have increased significantly. Freedom of expression is being attacked through a multitude of methods: SLAPP actions (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation), intimidation, cyberattacks, and disinformation and discredit campaigns. Access to information of public interest is systematically obstructed, very frequently through the abuse of the provisions on the protection of personal data - GDPR or through unjustified refusals by the authorities. Transparency is minimal or formal, and the lack of direct communication between the authorities and the press has led to an increase in disinformation and the polarisation of public opinion.

Economic pressures, driven by a precarious funding system, contribute to self-censorship and a decline in investigative journalism. The situation is exacerbated in the case of local media, which have limited resources to cope with these pressures.

Digital transformation and its challenges

To the specific national media landscape problems are added those related to technology and faced by journalism and mainstream media all over the world: the migration of audiences to the online environment, which presents both opportunities and major challenges.

The pressure to generate content quickly, adapted to social media algorithms, has led to a significant decline in the quality of journalism, with worrying increase of clickbait and disinformation.

The concentration of media ownership, including in the online ecosystem, increases the risk of information monopolisation and reduces pluralism. More and more Romanian media outlets struggle to adapt to new economic and technological realities, with the lack of investment in digital infrastructure and professional training exacerbating vulnerabilities.

The reports on the state of the press in Romania 2020-2024 emphasise the need for a transparent, fair and sustainable funding system that guarantees editorial independence and diversity of opinions. Protecting journalists from threats and ensuring real access to information of public interest are essential for the functioning of a healthy democracy. Strengthening the capacities of the press in the digital age is necessary, through investments in infrastructure, professional training and the promotion of quality journalism. Without these reforms, the future of Romanian mass media remains uncertain, with the risk of becoming an instrument of propaganda and disinformation, to the detriment of public information and democracy.