The International Press Institute (IPI) and our global network of leading journalists, editors and media executives today outline our support for independent Romanian news outlet Libertatea following a toxic smear campaign initiated following the tragic death of its journalist, Iulia Marin.
Libertatea is a leading daily newspaper and online media website and is among Romania’s most independent, high-quality and trusted sources of news. It is also a member of IPI’s Central Europe Independent Media Network.
Its journalist Iulia Marin, 32, was found dead at her apartment in Bucharest on April 19. She had struggled for years with bipolar disorder and other serious mental health issues. In her personal blog and Facebook page, Marin had written poignantly about her experiences with balancing her bipolar diagnosis with her journalistic work, drawing a dedicated following of readers facing similar challenges.
During her time at Libertatea, which was aware of her mental health issues when it hired her, the newsroom and management had attempted to create a safe and supporting environment for her to continue her passion for journalism. News of her death shocked the newsroom and led to an outpouring of support and solidarity. IPI spoke with the editors and journalists at the time to express its condolences.
However in the wake of the death, Libertatea was subjected to a smear campaign by the influential oligarch-owned channel Romania TV. Over consecutive days, it broadcasted prime-time shows in which its guests and the moderator Victor Ciutacu made sickening comments about Marin and her struggle with mental health issues. Libertatea was subjected to defamatory smears about its alleged role in her death, with the issue used to try and discredit Libertatea’s editorial coordinator Cătălin Tolontan.
Romania TV, a tabloid news television channel with one of the most-watched programmes in Romania, is owned by businessman Sebastian Ghiță, who fled the country in 2016 and is wanted by law enforcement authorities over several charges of corruption, influence peddling and forgery. Over the years, Libertatea has published multiple articles also about Ghiță, drawing the ire of the fugitive owner.
The channel’s news coverage of Marin’s death has drawn significant criticism. More than 200 newsrooms, journalists, medical associations, psychotherapists, NGOs and civic figures in Romania signed a letter protesting what they said was Romania TV’s hate speech. The National Broadcasting Council (CAN), the broadcaster media regulator, opened an investigation into how Romania TV had reported the death and fined the channel 100,000 lei (20,000 euros) for two shows made by Ciutacu. An appeal was rejected.
For now, the smear campaign against Libertatea has subsided and discussions have rightly turned to honouring Marin’s legacy. IPI hopes the solidarity expressed for Libertatea within the media community can now be channeled into lasting and positive change.
In addition, IPI hopes this incident prompts a period of reflection within the Romanian media community about how mental health issues are both reported and how colleagues living with such challenges are supported.
In the 2023 edition of Romanian’s most prestigious press prizes, Libertatea won newsroom of the year and four further awards for its reporting. IPI lauds this achievement and notes that, as multiple elections loom, this kind of important watchdog journalism will be needed more than ever. IPI and our global network stands fully behind Libertatea, its newsroom and their journalistic mission.
This statement by IPI is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States, Candidate Countries, and Ukraine. The project is co-funded by the European Commission.
