TV exaggerates protests in Romania

Television stations close to the Romanian opposition made the anti-government protests in Romania seem much larger than they really were, writes the news portal Ziare.com: "The cleverest camera angles were used to present a handful of people as a huge, persistent mass. ... The television spoke of 'thousands of people on the street', giving viewers the impression that the protesters numbered tens or even hundreds of thousands. But in fact less than 5,000 people in the whole country took part. Presumably there are two reasons for this media propaganda. On the one hand the media moguls' political interests lie behind the coverage. And on the other hand the images of the protests got fabulous ratings. The people could watch an interesting street spectacle unfold on television, in which they themselves didn't want to take part. 99 percent of Romanians stayed at home - not because they were satisfied or happy to support the government. ... Rather they sensed the media's heavy-handed manipulation."

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