Review of a Journalistic Failure: Radu Moraru

Just as one can't bathe twice in the same river, as an antique said (both the river and the man change), one can't be taken forever for a professional. Because, for some years, Radu Moraru was taken for a professional of television. “Naşul” (The Godfather) became a brand, the show recorded an impressive audience, subjects were of real great interest, and guests were not invited depending on the interests of the trust, but for the reason that, good or bad, they were the people of the moment. At the time, one could learn something about journalism from Moraru; his interviews were by the book, his intelligent, inquisitive questions seemed out into words by a contemporary Socrates who, there, had no other purpose but to extort the truth. Since, well, at the beginning of the 2000s, truth could still be spoken, and was not open to such a varied range of interpretations.

But since around 2007, little by little Morar's professionalism began to wear off. In journalism, generally, the firs sign of decline are press campaigns. Insistence is suspect in the pages of a newspaper, or in the on-air minutes of a TV station; the more you insist, the farther you are from objectivity. Somehow, unexpectedly, The Godfather on B1Tv specialised on TV series, vengeful soap-operas. Of common knowledge is the Lottery case, a real institutional Elodia, uncovered to the day and abandoned when interests required so. Apart from the press campaigns, the show started tackling subject alien to it until then. People from Iaşi, for example, had the chance to see discussed at The Godfather, in a bleaching and starching operation, a hundreds million business made down town their city by stakeholders such as the mayor, business men, local counsellors. Then, some other mayor, or some other business man in conflict (of interest) with some politician. Until, catching up with the “new trend”, other politicians resorted to the embalming services of Radu Moraru. Political and journalistic environments were even filled with rumours about the expected charges. The phenomenon seemed related to a huge loan that the anchor had taken and was not able to return. But this is a mean world, isn't it? And the uncaught thief is an honest merchant, as they say.

But Radu Moraru felt the need of higher protection against this worldly villainy. Him, the fighter against corruption, the righter of wrongs on the screen, the discloser of criminality, him, the charismatic man who used to round his lips to say “mob”, him, the great deontologist who spoke wisely and impartially, like an oracle in flesh and blood, thought appropriate to place his capital of trust on one single person, the most powerful man in Romania: Traian Băsescu. And, as a reaction, the president's friends became friends of the journalist, and the enemies of the first, a constant attack target for the latter. Even the background of the show turned orange tones (literally and figuratively).

The move was beneficial for a while. After the presidential campaign, all Radu Moraru's financial problems were in the past; a bright, jolly future,  called without cease his first name, a future hidden at times behind the Cotroceni Palace, at times behind the Government, at times behind the offices of the Liberal Democrat Party in Romania. But as a friend in need is a friend indeed, Traian Băsescu & co. continued to feel at home in The Godfather's show and asked for minutes on-air against the bad guys at the magnates’ courts. Presidential interviews granted on B1Tv turned into chit-chat over a glass of whisky, journalistic bias reached rates of an outraging embarrassment, and questions, once sharp and impossible to avoid, into lame tautologies like: what year did the 1907 Revolt take place?

And the inescapable happened: all failures (not few and not discreet) of the new presidential mandate reflected on a Radu Moraru with hand tied up and lips frozen in a kissing stance. Turned far too loyal, with all his bridges burnt, the journalist was forced to credit national catastrophes such as the minister for economy, for education, for labour and so on. The slightest ethical precautions were broken, and Moraru ended up a general target for ironies, completely losing his credibility. Understanding the disaster, the managers of the trust, resorted to a refresh, and called the services of another deontologist in downtrend, namely Robert Turcescu. A sort of, “let us all give a hand” which is already proving to be a loser.

What can Radu Moraru do now? Will the fall of Basescu coincide with the fall of one of the oldest shows on Romanian TV? Or will journalistic flair will work on the line of a last minute adjustment, a denial scented reconversion... It is, in fact, the only reason to watch every now and the “Godfather” show…