Romania’s media watchdog under fire after removing video claiming Georgescu ban equates coup d'état

The National Audiovisual Council (CNA), which governs TV and media in Romania, has recently come under fire after it issued an order for the removal of a video in which a journalist states that the decision of the Central Electoral Bureau to eliminate pro-Russian Călin Georgescu from the presidential race is a coup d'état.

The claim was made on the Marius Tucă Show YouTube channel. A longtime presence on Romanian political talk shows, Marius Tucă routinely discusses Georgescu’s case on his channel, featuring guests such as former prime minister and current presidential hopeful Victor Ponta.

The removal of one of Tucă’s clips is part of a renewed campaign targeting online disinformation initiated by Romanian institutions after the now-cancelled presidential elections of 2024.

For its part, CNA has issued dozens of removal orders for clips that incited hatred or violence or contained severe disinformation, such as those by influencer Makaveli, according to HotNews. For example, CNA recently convened to request the removal of several TikTok videos that explicitly encouraged violence against members of the Central Electoral Bureau. Such videos, posted by supporters of Georgescu, claimed that BEC members betrayed Romanian and that they should be killed.

CNA also issued a removal order for incitement to violence after George Simion posted avideo message on Facebook and TikTok, stating that "those who carried out the coup should be skinned alive in the public square." Other messages targeting journalists were also removed.

The latest removal involving Marius Tucă, however, attracted criticism from top officials like prime minister Marcel Ciolacu.

"CNA’s decision to remove opinion materials from journalists represents a deviation from democracy and from the right to free expression. Respecting the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution is mandatory for all state institutions. Opinions should not be confused with information and should never be censored,” Ciolacu said in a post on Facebook.

“Everyone is free to agree or disagree with an opinion expressed in the public space. And it is unacceptable that CNA members justify their sanctioning decisions on political opinions and personal reasons, rather than on the law!" he added, saying that CNA must "urgently revise its operating principles."