Forward to the Past: The Intractable Problems of Romania's Media System

Abstract

Romania's accession to European Union membership in January 2007 did not inhibit the country's corrupt political and media elites from turning back the clock on the already disappointing evolution of the media system and the laws, values, attitudes, and behaviors that underline its daily functioning.The article outlines the Romanian media's multiple problems and the regression the media experienced since the country became a member of the European Union. It concludes that no major alterations to the media system and its function will occur until the culture of the political elites, media owners, and the citizenry evolves in a more liberal, democratic direction. Romania's media will continue down a path that began in feudal times and will seek to adjust to the twenty-first century only at some later date.