Newsrooms in the Republic of Moldova will reassess their staff numbers following Donald Trump’s suspension of grants provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This statement was made by Cornelia Cozonac, president of the Center for Investigative Journalism.
Speaking on the “Consens National” program on Rlive TV, the journalist stated that Moldovan media remains dependent on foreign aid, which makes it vulnerable.
“We won’t see newsrooms shutting down, but some will drastically reduce their staff.
Democracy in Moldova will suffer because certain programs that help citizens understand who represents what and which policies they support will disappear. Once media outlets have built their capacity, they will try to resist and seek alternative funding. My concern is that other ‘donors’ with different interests might step in. Russia could infiltrate through certain donors, and former oligarchs could attempt to regain influence,” Cornelia Cozonac added.
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Political analyst Roman Mihaes, also present in the Rlive TV studio, stated that without grants and foreign aid, Moldova would have very little independent media.
“The U.S. and the European Union have funded the press to create an alternative to Russian media in the country. Without mass media support and courageous journalists, the events of 2009 would not have taken place, and Voronin’s regime would still be in power today. A group of modern journalists was formed, preventing politicians from playing their games unchecked. I fear that the Americans will shut down these projects entirely, which would be a serious, undesirable, and wrong decision,” Roman Mihaes added.
Donald Trump has suspended all USAID activities worldwide. The executive order, signed at the beginning of his term, has impacted dozens of sectors supported by the organization in Moldova, including the media. According to media executives, up to 70% of news organizations’ funding depends on foreign grants.