Ministers' Monitor by NewsVibe. Week of August 27 – September 02, 2025

PSD remains in first place in the ranking of ministers, this time through the Minister of Energy, Bogdan Ivan. He is followed by Daniel David, the Minister of Education supported by PNL, who is in second place for the second week in a row in the top, and Ionuț Moșteanu, the Minister of Defense from USR, according to data processed by NewsVibe, an AI media monitoring platform. The ranking reflects the online visibility of ministers (excluding Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, whose exposure is much higher), taking into account the volume of mentions, the impact generated, associated themes, and the tone of conversations.

Bogdan Ivan has come to the forefront of the most relevant online sources especially following announcements regarding the implementation of measures that will lead to a decrease in energy bills in the coming months. Additionally, Minister Ivan has drawn attention by assuring citizens that gas prices will not increase or by requesting ANRE to present a report on the methods of electricity billing.

Daniel David, the Minister of Education, has remained in the spotlight especially amid discussions about protests that could take place at the beginning of the school year, following measures taken by the Government. Minister David has sent new signals to teaching staff, but has also reiterated that the education system can no longer bear additional austerity measures. An adjacent topic that generated visibility for the Minister of Education was his trip to Chicago, alongside an advisor.

Ionuț Moșteanu has been visible on the agenda of online sources especially through messages regarding measures to reduce the budget deficit, which the Government took responsibility for yesterday, but also through the announcement regarding the introduction of voluntary military service, explanations related to Romania's support for Ukraine, or participation in external events (in Copenhagen, alongside Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu).

Deputy Prime Minister Marian Neacșu (PSD) remains, as in the previous week, in the last position in the ranking, with a low number of mentions, even though their number has slightly increased.

In comparison, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan (who is not included in the analysis) recorded approximately 6,200 online mentions, more than double the total mentions about ministers (around 2,900). Total mentions about ministers have slightly decreased in the last week, while the number of mentions about the Prime Minister's name has increased significantly.

NEWSVIBE GRAPH. The ranking of ministers based on the volume of mentions in influential online sources (websites, Facebook, YouTube) in the last week (the Prime Minister is excluded from measurement)

TRENDS IN MINISTERS' VISIBILITY. Among the ministers at the top of the ranking, only Bogdan Ivan records a significant increase in the number of mentions compared to last week. The number of mentions about the Minister of Energy has increased by almost 60%. Meanwhile, in absolute numbers, although he remains in second place, the number of mentions about Daniel David has decreased significantly - by over 41%, while those about Ionuț Moșteanu have increased by just over 15%.

Minister David remains in an area with a notable dominance of negative media contexts, while for ministers Ivan or Moșteanu there is rather a balance regarding the type of context in which they are mentioned.

PUBLIC TONE BAROMETER. Sentiment analysis shows that the name of Minister Daniel David remains the most strongly associated with a deeply negative context, against the backdrop of threats launched by unions, with the triggering of protests at the beginning of the school year.

The majority of names in the Government are presented in both types of contexts. As we pointed out last week, it becomes an exception to have a dominant presence of ministers' names in positive contexts.

The sentiment analysis conducted by the NewsVibe platform uses artificial intelligence to detect the tone of content in the online environment regarding each mentioned entity. In this case, the analysis covers all mentions related to ministers in the Romanian Government.

NEWSVIBE GRAPH. Sentiment analysis of the main entities (personalities, organizations, brands, locations, concepts, etc.) included in the context of online mentions about all members of the Government in the last week.

SEMANTIC NETWORK OF GOVERNMENT DEBATES. To obtain a more detailed picture of how government members are present and associated in online discussions, we used semantic network analysis. This tool, developed by NewsVibe, highlights the connections between topics of interest and public actors, based on simultaneous appearances in the most influential online sources in Romania.

• The analysis highlights a central community dominated by Romania, which appears as a major node of debates and creates multiple links with all other communities. The large size of this node shows that the term "Romania" is used transversally, as a convergence point for discussions about government, ministries, and public policies.
• Nearby, there is the community around Alexandru Rogobete, the Minister of Health, and the term Government, also connected to other names such as Cseke Attila. This group has a high density and suggests sustained visibility on administrative and governmental topics, following consultations between the two ministers and Prime Minister Bolojan.
• A distinct, compact, and well-defined cluster represents the one built around Daniel David. His visibility is directly related to the Ministry of Education and recurring themes regarding reforms and protests announced at the beginning of the school year. His community has its own coherence and is separated from other large cores, indicating a strong concentration of discussions around this subject.
• On the opposite side of the network is the core of Ionuț Moșteanu, connected to external and security themes, with references to regional politics and support for Ukraine. The community is visible and relatively extensive, indicating a diversity of discussed topics.
• Bogdan Ivan appears within a smaller cluster, but firmly connected to the term Ministry of Energy. His visibility particularly reflects debates related to energy prices and billing, registering clear connections with areas of public interest.
• Another relevant core is that of Diana Buzoianu, related to environmental themes and forest management, through connections with Romsilva. This community is less connected to the central core but has its own thematic coherence.
• Radu Marinescu is in a distinct but more peripheral position, having dispersed connections and limited visibility, focused on specific but impactful topics, such as the project for reforming the retirement of magistrates. The number of mentions about the Minister of Justice has indeed increased significantly in the last week.
• At the same time, Radu Miruță, the Minister of Economy, appears in a medium-sized community. His connections indicate visibility on economic topics, particularly regarding the management of state-owned companies.

NEWSVIBE GRAPH. The semantic network associated with online conversations about ministers, in the last week.

*****Summary created with the help of a data stream provided by the media monitoring platform NewsVibe Romania. The analysis, data, and images presented have been enhanced with the help of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence tools.