The media and Romania's Image

Since 1990 and the collapse of Communism Romania has been in the attention of foreign media in several occasions. One of the highest moments was the Revolution and its results the steps towards democracy. They focused on the events of the early nineties the social movements and the miners from Valea Jiului in January 1999, moments very well depicted in the former Prime Minister's Book Radu Vasile "Race on the Contrary Direction"

Other events brought to our attention from the foreign press where the elections in Romania after 1990 and the transformations in the parties configurations since then. The main periods being 1990- 1996 the transformations in the Leading Party led by Ion Iliescu, the former president, the FSN (the Front of the National Salvation), and the rests of its split in 1992 FSN became FDSN in one part en PD on the other and led in 1993 to the creations of PDSR and nowadays it is called PSD (The Social Democrat Party). In 1996 Romania was led by a president of the Democratic Convention Emil Constantinescu and his prime ministers Victor Ciorbea and Radu Vasile (from PNTCD- the National Peasant Christian and Democrat Party) till 2000. A third wave in the media's interest is the return to the Leadership of the country of the former president of the left Ion Iliescu and his prime minister Adrian Nastase that lost the elections in 2004 when the Aliance DA (dreptate si adevar) "Justice and Truth" won the elections changing the post revolutionary and transition atmosphere into the rightful one of a new reborn one more democratic in parallel with the western models.

The last but not the least important moment in the international media has been Romania adhesion at the European Union, it was not about "that Romania" anymore but about a new member, one of them. And the interest of the media was increased.
Even if my research ended before the new events that can be attached to Romania's image, in Italy this year, I argue that it is of a major importance to stay focused in this area of research because it is a field so new.

Media has had an important role in the opinion making since the beginning of times. The foreign media could help countries like Romania to develop a sense of comfort, stability and natural well being in the democratic system, by promoting the positive aspects and the positive steps that Romania has made towards the democracy. Instead of that, media has promoted the negative aspects of what Romania still tries to shake and solve, and by exaggerating the negative aspects, the media has created stereotypes that cannot be replaced even if they no longer exist in Romania's realities.