Governing PNL party press office: All information published by HotNews.ro consists in invented stories

Miercuri, 19 decembrie 2007, 19:10 English | Top News

The press office of the governing party in Romania, the National Liberal Party (PNL), issued a press release for the whole Romanian media on Wednesday saying that "all information published by the HotNews press agency simply consists in invented stories aimed at manipulating the public opinion". The press release unprecedentedly attacking the website you are now reading - which, as an online news website in Romanian and English and not as a press agency, is one of the most visited news websites in Romania - does not make reference to a specific story on HotNews.ro.

The press release in full (translated):

"The press office of the PNL is entrusted to specify that all information published by the Hotnews press agency simply consists in invented stories aimed at manipulating the public opinion.

"It has become a practice for this agency to quote so-called anonymous sources to publish disinformation and speculation instead of authentic stories.

"Should the information be true and not fabricated stories, the Hotnews press agency would have had quoted the people that circulated this information.

"Considering the lies and speculation thus published, it is obvious that the Hotnews press agency acts in an embarrassing and disqualifying way for the whole Romanian media."