The Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul" implemented the project "Supporting Critical Thinking and Resisting Disinformation in the Republic of Moldova", from January 2023 to October 2024. The project's objective was to enhance the capacities of media institutions, civil society organizations, students, and the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Moldova in critical thinking, media literacy, analysis, resistance to misinformation, and the coverage of public interest information in an unbiased manner.
Within the project, a mapping of media institutions and civil society organizations active in the media space of the Republic of Moldova was carried out. In the same way, a meeting was organized with the members of the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Moldova to outline the main objective of the project.
Subsequently, 35 students, representatives of media institutions and civil society organizations, were selected, as a result of an organized competition, to participate in a complex training program, which was launched on May 3, 2023. On June 22, 2023, on the last day of training, the 35 participants were handed certificates of participation in the program, which included 20 sessions, where topics such as: media education and the national experience regarding media education; what is behind disinformation trends and what are the myths behind disinformation campaigns. It discussed: techniques to combat disinformation; false information as a component of disinformation; about experience and good practices at the international level in combating disinformation. The participants were also trained in the fact-checking chapter; the peculiarities of disinformation in the online environment; the role of new technologies in disinformation campaigns; and also the role of journalists in combating disinformation, etc.
After the training sessions, participants applied the knowledge acquired in practical activities. Those who wanted were tasked with conducting assessments, case studies, monitoring, and analysis on topics related to disinformation, media literacy, and critical thinking. The project envisaged the writing of 15 such articles.
Another activity of the project was the creation, based on an open competition, of a Discussion Platform to combat disinformation in a national, regional, and international context, represented by journalists, students, non-governmental organizations, and mass media representatives, which met in four working sessions. At these meetings (October 16, 2023; February 6, 2024; June 4, 2024; October 18, 2024) the homework of the participants from the Training Program was presented. Materials were included in 4 collections of articles (first, second, third, and fourth).
The study "Information policies of TV stations in the Republic of Moldova", also carried out within the project, is about how the most influential media institutions in the Republic of Moldova reflect the internal and external problems that affect society, from the perspective of disinformation, the presentation of fake news and the implications of these actions for the country.
Also, according to the "red flags" principle, a Guide was developed regarding the identification, classification, and countering of false information, in the public and media space of the Republic of Moldova, in Russian and Romanian. The Romanian version was presented on February 6, 2024, at the second meeting of the Discussion Platform. The Russian version was translated later.
The project also provided for the development of 12 infographics based on relevant information about the training program; the sessions held within the program; the informational policy of televisions from the Republic of Moldova; the conclusions of the study regarding the information policy of televisions – part I and part II; ten questions to detect fake news; web sources for checking video images; web sources for detecting fake news; red flags recommended by the Oxford Internet Institute; the first five articles written by participants in the Training Program; the second collection of articles with another five participant analyses; and the third collection of articles on the last five participants.
The project "Supporting Critical Thinking and Resisting Disinformation in the Republic of Moldova", implemented by IDIS "Viitorul", was financially supported by the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest.
The Platform for Discussions Focused on Combating Disinformation in a national, regional, and international context, represented by journalists, students, and non-governmental organizations, met on Friday, October 18, 2024, for the fourth working session. At the event, four participants of the Training Program on Critical Thinking and Media Literacy, held between May and June 2023, presented their articles. These articles analyzed four impactful news topics, which were distorted or intentionally misrepresented to mislead the Moldovan public opinion.
Carolina Ungureanu, project coordinator and deputy director of IDIS "Viitorul," opened the meeting by presenting the Russian version of the Guide for identifying, classifying, and countering false information in the public and media space of the Republic of Moldova. This guide, a translation of the original Romanian version, was intended to help the public more easily identify fake news by applying the "red flags" verification tool. "Participants at one of the previous Platform meetings requested that the Guide, which is in Romanian, be translated into Russian. They believe that the group currently most susceptible to misinformation is the Russian-speaking population, who unfortunately do not know Romanian and are less informed," said Carolina Ungureanu.
Carolina Ungureanu expressed her hope that IDIS "Viitorul" has contributed, through the Training Program on critical thinking, media literacy, disinformation resistance, and unbiased coverage of public interest issues, to developing a generation of investigative journalists and improving their capacities. For example, Măriuța Nistor, a graduate of the training program, was involved in developing an article that was presented during a meeting of the Platform for Discussions Focused on Combating Disinformation. This platform, launched at the initiative of IDIS "Viitorul," focuses on disinformation at the national, regional, and international levels. Recently, on October 11, 2024, Măriuța Nistor's investigation was published and, as of October 22, 2024, has garnered 310,000 views, 2,447 comments, and numerous shares on YouTube alone.
Liubomir Chiriac, executive director of IDIS "Viitorul," believes that one of the mistakes made by civil society in the Republic of Moldova today is that analyses, studies, and reports are published exclusively in Romanian and English, with little attention given to Russian. "Recently, studies and reports have not been written in Russian. There is a lack of communicators and individuals capable of conveying our messages to the Russian-speaking population. It will require tremendous effort not to lose these people, who are caught in the flow of Russian propaganda," said Liubomir Chiriac.
Ruslan Graur analyzed the impact of disinformation on TikTok and how it shapes the political perceptions of young people in the Republic of Moldova. According to him, TikTok has become a platform for spreading fake news and fearmongering, with the younger generation being the primary target. "A lot of fake information is shared daily on TikTok channels. Their number is increasing, as is the number of users from the Republic of Moldova. Moldovan politicians have moved to this platform, where they have tens of thousands of followers. Others invest money in creating fake accounts or pay influencers to distribute their political messages. The 20 monitored accounts collectively have around 420,000 followers," said Ruslan Graur.
Silviu Plopa examined whether there is manipulation regarding the external direction of the Republic of Moldova’s economic development. According to him, the country still faces major challenges in this area. "Although many citizens acknowledge that the European Union offers a path to improved living standards, there are still speculations and manipulations surrounding this topic, often based on unfounded arguments. The main areas of disinformation include foreign aid, exports from the Republic of Moldova, support for overcoming COVID-19, the energy crisis, and others. It is essential for the Republic of Moldova to continue promoting a pro-EU policy to benefit from the financial support and economic opportunities available and to counter the spread of false information," said Silviu Plopa.
Alexandru Tetelea, in his article, pointed out that the Russian patriarchy serves as a tool for propaganda and the expansion of Russian imperialism. He argued that many clerics in the Republic of Moldova exhibit a strong influence of Russian nationalism in their teachings. "These slogans emphasize the importance of brotherhood between Russia, Eastern Europe, and Asia, advocating for Russia to reassert its influence over the former Soviet republics and resist the spread of Western values. Some Moldovan priests, ideologically, speak against the 'sinful' democratic system, claiming it will destroy the foundations of Christian culture," said Alexandru Tetelea.
Mihail Nesteriuc analyzed the disinformation spread by candidates in the October 20 presidential elections, especially in the context of the referendum on the European integration of the Republic of Moldova. After reviewing the candidates' TikTok accounts, he found several false narratives regarding the referendum, promoted by the 11 candidates. "Most of the candidates, 45.5%, predominantly from the left, argued that the referendum is a political trick designed to help certain individuals win the election. A significant portion, 24.2%, also from the left, claimed that the referendum has no legal basis. Another 18.2% said the referendum would not facilitate EU membership and was promoted by politicians to lower public expectations. Finally, 12.1% suggested that the referendum topic should be changed, arguing that it is inappropriate. All of these claims are false," according to Mihail Nesteriuc.
"We live in an era where information travels at the speed of light, and it’s clear that the younger generation is increasingly paying attention to news shared on social networks, particularly Instagram and TikTok, where false information is not only accepted but, worst of all, widely shared, especially during election periods. The Center for Continuing Education in the Electoral Field (CICDE) is developing a training program to inform young people in the Republic of Moldova about disinformation during electoral periods. By participating in this event, I managed to gather new information and resources, which I plan to share through seminars at pre-university and university institutions," said Tatiana Grigoriță, a communicator at CICDE, who participated online in the session.
"Participant presentations, as well as those from previous sessions, highlighted the themes around which disinformation is currently being spread. Misinformation is a significant problem in our society, as it is in many societies today. Such activities are necessary for the general public, who need to learn how to distinguish between true and false information," concluded Nicoleta German, a member of the Discussion Platform.
The Platform for Discussions Focused on Combating Disinformation in a national, regional, and international context was launched on October 16, 2023, as part of the project "Supporting Critical Thinking and Resisting Disinformation in the Republic of Moldova," implemented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul" from January 2023 to October 2024, with financial support from the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest. At the first meeting on October 16, 2023, five articles were presented. At the second meeting on February 6, 2024, two articles were presented, and at the third meeting on June 4, 2024, another four articles were presented. In total, 15 articles were developed.
The Platform for discussions focused on combating disinformation in a national, regional, and international context, represented by journalists, students, teachers, and non-governmental organizations active in the field of disinformation, met on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, in its third working session. At the event have been presented four articles by four participants in the Training Program on Critical Thinking and Media Literacy, held between May and June 2023. The articles analyzed four impactful news topics, distorted or presented in an intentionally erroneous way by Russian propaganda and Russian influence agencies in the Republic of Moldova, to disinform the Moldovan public opinion.
Carolina Ungureanu, project coordinator, and deputy director of IDIS "Viitorul", reminded the participants that the exercise on writing analyses/articles is a practical activity part of the Training program on critical thinking and media literacy, in which about 35 people participated, and who now have the opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge in practice, in the writing of analyses/articles, which are presented within the Discussion Platform.
Mihail Nesteriuc analyzed the phenomenon of “Moldovenism” as a pseudo-national ideology and a manifestation of anti-Romanian hate speech, which is promoted by the Kremlin's agents of influence in the Republic of Moldova to divide society through social network and mass media propaganda tools. In his opinion, “Moldovenism” is not an ideology, but an anti-ideology, which "always denies the other". "The architects of Moldevanism decided to build an ideology of denial of Romanian national and ethnic identity. During the 30 years of independence of the Republic of Moldova, pro-Kremlin parties have used "Moldovenism" as the soil on which to cultivate their main narratives. The Republic of Moldova faces numerous challenges in the face of the hybrid war waged by the Russian Federation. In recent years, disinformation and manipulation have been used as important tools to influence public opinion and destabilize the political and social situation in the country," said Mihail Nesteriuc.
Mihai Avasiloaie tried to explain how a fake about the expulsion of priests from the Republic of Moldova was "rolled" on the Russian propaganda channels on Telegram. According to Mihai Avasiloaie, several Russian-language Telegram channels wrote that the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, "will expel Moldovan priests from the country" on the grounds of "espionage activity", and the first on the list will be Archbishop Savva (Volkov ) of Tiraspol and Dubăsari. These statements do not correspond to reality, Mihai Avasiloaie arguing that: "In reality, Archbishop Sava is a citizen of the Republic of Moldova and cannot be expelled, and President Maia Sandu is not the authority responsible for the execution of such a measure. The information was promoted on Telegram channels known for promoting falsehoods and pro-Kremlin propaganda narratives," said Mihai Avasiloaie.
Alexandru Tetelea noticed that the population census, conducted between April 8 and July 7, 2024, became the subject of misinformation in Moldovan society. "Once the census was announced, an ”artificial panic” was created in the public space about its objectives. Among the citizens, various theories began to be transmitted, according to which the stated objectives are only a pretext, the real ones being presented by the Russian propaganda as somewhat occult and remaining hidden. While watching the press briefings of some political actors, and monitoring some pro-Russian Telegram channels, I noticed that the disinformation that is spreading in society on the subject of the census is part of a well-designed and implemented strategy by Kremlin agents," declared Alexandru Tetelea.
Nicolae Ghidiu analyzed the speech of local leaders from Gagauzia in the context of the referendum on European integration. The analysis highlights several narratives of the local leaders of the autonomy who, by virtue of their public function, form a circle of trusted people, with influence in the region, who frequently appear in the public space, respectively, the impact of the messages broadcast by them has grown and can change the opinions and attitudes of the consumers of messages through narratives aimed at mass disinformation of the local population. "Using disinformation is a way to maintain or strengthen control over the local population, by spreading false or distorted information, UTAG leaders may try to influence people's perceptions and opinions in their favor, to manipulate public opinion, promote certain political agendas or personal interests, to maintain or intensify political tensions in the region," writes Nicolae Ghidiu in his analysis.
“It was a session with interesting and necessary presentations on misinformation, which is a prominent issue in our society. I believe that such exercises would also be very useful for the general public, to have a clearer idea of what is happening in the information environment in the Republic of Moldova", concluded Nicoleta German, a member of the Discussion Platform.
"In the Republic of Moldova, disinformation is promoted by the followers of the current regime in power in the Russian Federation. If you look at what is happening in the relations between the Republic of Moldova and Romania, with the European Union (EU), which Russia does not like, the same narratives are being promoted, namely that the Moldovans have a different identity, that they are not Romanian, that they speak the Moldovan language, that Romania and the EU want to subjugate the Republic of Moldova, that Romania promotes fascism, that the EU and NATO mean war, that the destruction of the Republic of Moldova is being pursued. Everything that the Kremlin regime seeks to weaken is attacked through the same tactics of disinformation", observed Pavel Vintilă, a member of the Discussion Platform.
The Discussion Platform was launched on October 16, 2023, within the project "Supporting critical thinking and resistance to disinformation in the Republic of Moldova", implemented by IDIS "Viitorul", in the period January 2023 - October 2024, with the financial support of the Embassy of Finland to Bucharest. At the first meeting, the first five articles were presented. On February 6, 2024, two more articles were presented during the second working session. In total, 11 articles were developed out of the total of 15 provided for in the project. The Discussion Platform aims to facilitate cooperation between the public, journalists, and the regulatory agency in the context of the fight against disinformation in a national, regional, and international context. Also, this aims to ensure a participative environment for debate, with workshops where topics related to critical thinking, media literacy, analysis, resistance to disinformation, and reflecting information of public interest are discussed in an unbiased manner.
The Platform for discussions focused on combating disinformation in a national, regional, and international context, represented by journalists, students, teachers, and non-governmental organizations active in the field of disinformation, had its second working meeting. At the event have been presented two articles by two participants in the Training Program on Critical Thinking and Media Literacy. The articles analyzed two impactful news topics, distorted or presented in an intentionally erroneous way, for the purpose of disinforming the Moldovan public opinion.
Cătălina Cernei tried to find out how, in some media sources, historical events related to the Romanian holiday "December 1" are manipulated for political purposes. She analyzed how "Komsomolskaya pravda v Moldove" and "Moldavskie Vedomosti" reflected on their web pages, the way in which the day of December 1, 2023, dedicated to the National Day of Romania, is being celebrated in the Republic of Moldova. The author found that the portals did not reflect the way Bessarabian Romanians marked this day, but only wrote about the public actions organized by certain groups against the celebration of Romania's National Day, thus distorting the historical facts in a way that promotes the ideology Moldovanism.
"Several news portals wrote about this event, but the articles published by "Komsomolskaya pravda v Moldove" and "Moldavskie Vedomosti" stood out with their obvious intention to misinform and manipulate public opinion. "Komsomolskaya pravda v Maldove" (Kp.md) has its roots in the Soviet totalitarian regime. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, it continued to operate, expanding to many post-Soviet countries, including the Republic of Moldova. Kp.md has been part of Ilan Şor's "media empire" since the fall of 2023. At "Moldavskie Vedomosti", following the content they publish on the website, one can see the pro-Russian trend. On its Facebook page, the paper publishes and distributes daily posts that have a pro-Russian tone, posts that promote nostalgia for "Soviet Moldova etc.",, said Cătălina Cernei.
Ion Bunduchi, director of public policy within the Electronic Press Association, said that this kind of analysis is a very good and useful exercise, because it directs the public's attention to some important things and processes for society. The expert suggested to the author of the analysis, to complete the recommendations section, with a point, which would provide the closure of the "Komsomolskaya Pravda" portal in the Republic of Moldova. "Why should this portal exist in Moldova? We see how many messages are there in the public space that inertia we assimilate and remain thus mentally in the Soviet period. One goal of our enemies is to keep us with the mentality of where we came from. That's why this nostalgia is still very pronounced and there are still a lot of tools that maintain this nostalgia. Someone is interested in still having "Komsomolskaya pravda" in Moldova, a branch of a foreign newspaper. Maybe it's time to rethink our media space. Such propaganda tools are harmful because they keep us in the past", said Ion Bunduchi.
Oxana Iuteș, the director of Internews Moldova, suggested to the author, that when she produces such articles, not stop at just one or two media institutions, but take five or six and include materials that respect journalistic ethics and that do not respect, to show that balance that must be in the journalistic approach to a subject.
Irina Bejan, the executive director of the Regional Center for Community Development, analyzed how some public persons manipulate national security topics to destabilize public opinion, before the elections. The case study presented was the topic "gas for 10 lei". According to Irina Bejan, the efforts of some politicians aimed to destabilize public opinion, namely the ex-deputy with a criminal record, Ilan Șor, led to the promotion of disinformation at the highest possible levels. Thus, on the eve of the general local elections in the fall of 2023, the disinformation campaigns, promoted including by the new head of the UTA Gagauzia, Evghenia Guțul, exploited the insecurity of citizens frightened by the high prices of fuels and energy resources, circumstances that generated a favorable predisposition for the launch of a new fake in the online environment, namely "gas for 10 lei".
"These statements by the mayor, regarding the procurement of "gas for 10 lei" appeared in the media space before the elections and were promoted by the fugitive oligarch and other exponents of the ex-Sor Party. In the end, they not only failed to legally connect any household, but they could not even follow the legal route to reach the meters. We can affirm that these statements were smokescreens, thrown to influence both the general local elections and the emotional state of the citizens, who are daily victims of a hybrid war, with reduced energy security guarantees, are easier to influence and misinform. The messages of these politicians, such as that only those who will support the Şor Party in the elections will benefit from this cheap gas, prove that the statements are only political, not assumed. Şor and his affiliates are not the first to make electoral promises that have not been fulfilled. There were also unrealized and already forgotten promises, such as one thousand lei to the elderly; maternal capital of 10,000; teachers will be remunerated like bankers, and bankers - like teachers; free public transport; the creation of NORDLand, etc., mentioned Irina Bejan.
According to Ion Bunduchi, the topic of the study was chosen successfully, because Moldovans have a weakness for wanting everything to be as cheap as possible, and those who launched this idea knew where to aim and this is why their narrative was succesful. "It is very good that credible media sources were not overlooked in this analysis, even if in the country we should also have some state entities, which when a dangerous narrative for the country is identified, take measures, come up with reactions ", the expert pointed.
Carolina Ungureanu, project coordinator, deputy director of IDIS "Viitorul", remembered that the exercise on writing analyses/articles is a practical activity part of the Training program on critical thinking and media literacy, in which about 35 people participated, who now have the opportunity to apply the acquired knowledge in practice, in the writing of analyses/articles, which are presented within the Discussion Platform.
The Discussion Platform was launched on October 16, 2023, within the project "Supporting critical thinking and resistance to disinformation in the Republic of Moldova", implemented by IDIS "Viitorul", in the period January 2023 - October 2024, with the financial support of the Embassy of Finland to Bucharest. At the first meeting, the first five articles were presented. In total, seven articles were developed out of the total of 15 provided for in the project. The Discussion Platform aims to facilitate cooperation between the public, journalists, and the regulatory agency in the context of the fight against disinformation in a national, regional, and international context. Also, this aims to ensure a participative environment for debate, with workshops where topics related to critical thinking, media literacy, analysis, resistance to disinformation, and reflecting information of public interest are discussed in an unbiased manner.
On Tuesday, 6 February 2024, at the initiative of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", a Guide regarding the identification, classification, and countering of false information, in the public and media space of the Republic of Moldova, was launched with the intention to facilitate the quick and easy identification of fake news, by applying the verification tool called "red flags". The guide was developed within the project "Supporting critical thinking and resistance to disinformation in the Republic of Moldova", financially supported by the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest.
During the discussions on the guide, organized within the Discussion Platform to combat disinformation in a national, regional, and international context, at the second working session, Sergiu Bugai, the author of the guide, stated that this is a tool dedicated to those who create and consume news and information, as it includes not only the detection of disinformation and the manipulation of public opinion but also analysis procedures and recommendations for preventing and counteracting the risks generated by these harmful tactics.
"In addition to providing information on how to spot and verify fake information/news, the guide also provides examples to develop your skills in this area. The "red flags" tool provides useful tips that should be considered when consuming media news and verifying before sharing them on social media. To achieve advanced fact-checking, the guide also presents a list of online platforms for checking information sources, data, video, and photo materials", said Sergiu Bugai.
The author of the guide also says that many interdisciplinary research centers apply the methodology of "red flags" to identify fake news more quickly. The Oxford Internet Institute has launched the online guide The ComProp Navigator to check the news, where also is found the tool Top Six Red Flags that a News Story is Unreliable, Disreputable and Embarrassing for You to Share developed by the media watchdog in the United States „Ad Fontes Media”. Another American organization, ”The News Literacy Project”, launched the free e-learning platform ”Checkology”, which proposes the instrument Ten Questions for news detection for checking fake news. The company "TeachThought" offers "Critical Thinking" e-learning platforms, proposing the tool 20 Questions To Help Students Think Critically About News to identify false information.
The guide also mentions that disinformation has been and continues to be a challenge for democracy. The digital age needs new approaches and commitments to match the scale, speed, and prevalence of information threats launched into the public and media space. The problem of fake news has become one of the most important topics in modern journalism. More and more, the social science system, journalists, and information security specialists are taking the problem of fake news, and more recently, deepfakes created by artificial intelligence, very seriously. Their impact on the opinion and behavior of the news consumer is very noticeable, especially during pre-election campaigns. "A series of researches, analyses, recommendations, media education manuals, and policies regarding information security have been developed by fact-checking experts and Moldovan journalists. However, in the conditions of a hybrid war, in which the national media space has become a battlefield, there is a need to react promptly and operatively to everything called disinformation, manipulation, fake news", the author mentions in the Guide.
"Propaganda is targeting our country in an increasingly active manner. An opinion survey, presented last year, shows that around 70% of Moldovan citizens believe that it is very difficult for them to distinguish between false and true information. This is an indicator that stands before civil society, journalists, and all those who are interested in combating this phenomenon. We know that several organizations are working in that direction. This Guide, which was created by Sergiu Bugai, at the behest of IDIS "Viitorul", we believe will be useful both to journalists, journalists and representatives of civil society, students, and all those interested in understanding how this phenomenon works", said the executive director of IDIS "Viitorul", Liubomir Chiriac.
"With the start of the war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, we felt the fertile ground to work intensively in this field of disinformation, supporting critical thinking and resilience to disinformation in the Republic of Moldova. Today, we are in an information-abundant era, and we believe that the ability to analyze, evaluate, and select information is crucial for a society that wants to be democratic, prosperous, and healthy. From the flow of information that is spread today, it is very difficult to tell if it is fake news, erroneous information, propaganda, or misinformation. In drafting this guide, we felt that a useful tool was needed to help society be able to verify the information that is being provided", mentioned Carolina Ungureanu, deputy director of IDIS "Viitorul", project manager.
Mihail Nesteriuc, a student at the Faculty of Journalism at the USM, and a member of the Discussion Platform, stated that the Guide is interesting, well-constructed, and even a source of information for the whole society. But his concern about misinformation is related to those deepfakes, which are created for ridicule, to amuse people. "I doubt that many people believe that what is shown through these deepfakes is true. We have to be careful, because we don't know if these deepfakes, which are being made today, won't turn into something serious over time, and the situation can become dangerous", said Mihail Nesteriuc.
Ion Bunduchi, director of public policy within the Electronic Press Association, stated that no matter how many guides and studies of this kind there will be, they will not be enough, because the phenomenon of disinformation is very complex. The expert urged everyone to be careful when using the notions of "fake information" and "fake news". "News is a journalistic genre. Journalists are taught to write news, and journalists are not taught to write fake news. Journalists who write fake news are pseudo-journalists. It could happen that someone intentionally widely uses fake news to cast this harmful shadow on journalists. Not all fake news is harmful and not all propaganda is harmful. If propaganda is capable of causing disastrous damage, then we must take care of this propaganda. Not all misinformation is dangerous. It is dangerous when it harms national security. When we use the notions more accurately, we can focus on the truly harmful phenomena, which we need to identify, assess, and determine to be harmful and potentially harmful, and to combat them", said Ion Bunduchi.
Oxana Iuteș, director of Internews Moldova, recalled that the Center for Independent Journalism developed in 2017 the first media education manual, for the primary level. Then, it followed for the middle school level in 2018 and in 2019 for the high school level. According to Oxana Iuteș, the optional course is not about media education and media content, but about information literacy, which is already outdated. "These notions are intellectually, informationally, and digitally outdated. Children don't read the news. Kids are only on social media. Few people read and watch the news today. Even the notions need to be changed. Because of this avalanche of fake news, the journalistic industry was affected in Moldova, especially during the pandemic we had. Smart people called it infodemic because it's about information, not specific journalistic content. Things are changing so quickly, that we have to realize that we are no longer analyzing from the point of view of journalistic content, but we are talking about informational content on social media, video", pointed out Oxana Iuteș.
During the second working session of the Platform, two articles were presented, in which two participants in the Training program on critical thinking, media literacy, analysis, resistance to disinformation, and unbiased coverage of public interest information, organized in May-June 2023, analyzed news topics distorted or presented in an intentionally erroneous way, to misinform the Moldovan public opinion.
A Discussion Platform to combat disinformation in a national, regional, and international context was launched on Monday, October 16, at the initiative of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul". This is represented by journalists, students, and non-governmental organizations that implement projects in the field of disinformation, but also by teachers who teach media education in schools.
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The project "Supporting Critical Thinking and Resistance to Disinformation in Moldova," implemented by the IDIS "Viitorul" from January 2023 to October 2024, is financially supported by the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest.
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The Republic of Moldova is still a fertile ground for Russian propaganda because there is an interdependent connection between the phenomenon of propaganda – on one side, and disinformation and poor societies, which are easier to manipulate – on the other side. Television is an important means of information for the population of the Republic of Moldova, and in the last two years, for the Moldovan information space dominated by the Russian media, television remained an important lever of influence. This is one of the conclusions of the study "Information policies of TV stations in the Republic of Moldova", conducted by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS "Viitorul") and presented on Friday, December 15, 2023.
The study was carried out within the project "Supporting critical thinking and resisting disinformation in the Republic of Moldova", implemented in the period January 2023 - October 2024, with the financial support of the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest and aimed to monitor the main TV stations in the Republic of Moldova in order to determine the informational narratives of TV media sources and to estimate whether they inform the citizens correctly and fairly, or on the contrary, have a tendency to misinform and manipulate the Moldovan public opinion.
Ion Tăbârță, political expert at IDIS "Viitorul" and author of the study, stated that the topics selected for monitoring represent the informational essence of the space in the Republic of Moldova were the internal politics; the social-economic situation; the justice sector; the Autonomous Territorial Unit (ATU) Gagauzia; the foreign policy; Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. The following main information products that shape opinions in the information space have been analyzed: news bulletins; political and social-economic materials; and political talk shows. Thus, Moldova 1, Jurnal TV, TV8, TVR Moldova, Pro TV, Vocea Basarabiei, Orizont TV, Exclusiv TV, Cinema 1, and Gagauziya Radio Televizionu (GRT) TV channels were selected for monitoring. The criteria for selecting the TV channels were the audience level according to the measurements made and their popularity ratings resulting from the sociological research data.
It is worth mentioning here that on 16 December 2022, the Commission for Exceptional Situations ordered the suspension of the broadcasting license for the channels “Primul în Moldova”, RTR Moldova, Accent TV, NTV Moldova, TV6, Orhei TV, for "lack of correct information in the coverage of national events, but also of the Rusian war against Ukraine", and some of them - RTR Moldova, NTV Moldova, Primul ]n Moldova and TV6, which were at that time among the top 10 TVs with the highest audience, migrated to others, with lower audience. RTR Moldova to Cinema 1, NTV Moldova to Exclusiv TV and TV6 to Orizont TV. Thus, their duplicates were included in the monitoring. As of April 2023, Primul ]n Moldova no longer produced news content and was not monitored.
The study analysed the narratives of the given TV channels on topics such as: May 9, the Great "European Moldova" Assembly on May 21, 2023; energy issues; farmers' protests; the increase in ministers' salaries; patent holders' protest; the incident at Chișinău International Airport resulting in the death of two people; the language scandal at the "Timofei Moșneaga" Republican Clinical Hospital; justice reform; elections for the position of Bashkan of the UTA Gagauzia; the European Political Community Summit; Moldova's relations with NATO; denunciation of several agreements with the CIS; Russian military aggression against Ukraine, etc. .
The study shows that some Moldovan TV channels deliberately misinform and manipulate Moldovan society, acting in the geopolitical interests of the Russian Federation, but also in the group and personal interests of oligarchic elements in the Republic of Moldova. Their aim is to prevent reform and modernisation of state institutions, part of the European integration effort. That is why some TV channels try to undermine any pro-European government in Chișinău, regardless of its political colour. These group on channels include: Orizont TV; Exclusiv TV; Cinema 1; and Gagauziya Radio Televizionu (GRT).
The author of the study also states that in the last two years, these TV channels, through their information policy, have promoted several narratives with the aim of discrediting the pro-European government in Chișinău, and, by doing so, intentionally and constantly discredit the European course among citizens. During the monitoring period, manipulative and misinformation narratives were promoted such as: "we pay dearly for gas because Sandu did not want to go to Moscow to make a deal with Putin", "we buy the same Russian gas, but more expensive from Europe", "the Republic of Moldova is going the way of Ukraine, being a docile tool for the aggressive purposes of the West", etc.
"The general conclusion of the study is that Moldova 1, Jurnal TV, TV8, TVR Moldova, Pro TV and Vocea Basarabiei build their information policy by addressing the main media topics, based on their own editorial policy, objective and subjective, and their way of disseminating information in the public space is through news and talk shows. Exclusiv TV and Cinema 1 have a balanced news editorial policy on some topics, interpretative on others, and non-informative on sensitive geopolitical topics, such as Russian military aggression against Ukraine. There is a noticeable attempt not to promote Moldova's European course, and, on the contrary, to camouflage the eastern direction of the external vector under the slogan of geopolitical balance. Orizont TV openly promotes the political interests of the Shor group, with an anti-EU and pro-Russian information policy. GRT's information policy is poorly connected to the public agenda of the Republic of Moldova, it reflects the situation in ATU Gagauzia with clear hostile accents against the central authorities in Chișinău and the political interests of the Shor group in the Gagauz region", said Ion Tăbârță.
According to Ion Tăbârță, Chișinău is a target of Moscow's hybrid aggression, and one of the elements of this aggression is the spread of Russian propaganda through disinformation, in order to lower the resilience of society and state institutions against this hybrid aggression directed from Moscow. "In the Republic of Moldova, there is still a large segment of the socially vulnerable population, which, along with Russian-speakers, is the most exposed to propaganda and disinformation coming from the Russian Federation, including through domestic political actors, acting against the interests of the Republic of Moldova," the author notes in the study.
Ion Tăbârță believes that in order to combat and reduce the phenomenon of disinformation in the Republic of Moldova, it is very important to know which Moldovan TV channels manipulate public opinion through misinformation or non-information on the main thematic issues of interest to Moldovan society. Thus, in his opinion, the solutions against TVs that misinform, and in general against the phenomenon of misinformation, are: applying the legislation of the Republic of Moldova against television stations that do not comply with the provisions of the audiovisual code and act in a way that undermines the security of the state institution, and to pay more attention to the process of media education, starting in schools and continuing through all levels of society
With reference to legal solutions, Ion Tăbârță argues that it is advisable for state institutions to: communicate strategically; establish clear criteria for evaluating TV channels; develop tools to combat misinformation on the internet and social media platforms. With regard to educational measures, it is necessary to: modify the school curriculum (in areas such as personal development or education for society) so that pupils from an early age are taught to find their way through the information labyrinth of postmodernist technologies, to be able to distinguish between a platform that informs and one that misinforms, to detect news that misinforms and manipulates; make media education a compulsory subject in the last year of secondary school (at least) and in high schools and colleges.
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The project "Supporting Critical Thinking and Resisting Disinformation in the Republic of Moldova", implemented by IDIS "Viitorul" from January 2023 to October 2024, is financially supported by the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest.
IDIS "Viitorul" is an independent think tank established in 1993 that combines social, political and economic research with strong advocacy components. The institution conducts applied monitoring research on several areas: economics, social policy, EU policies, regional development, but also security and foreign policy risks.
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A Discussion Platform to combat disinformation in a national, regional and international context was launched on Monday, October 16, at the initiative of the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul". This is represented by journalists, students, non-governmental organizations that implement projects in the field of disinformation, but also by teachers who teach media education in schools. In the first session, a collection of five articles was presented, having been written by five participants of the May-June 2023 training program on critical thinking, media literacy, analysis, resistance to disinformation, and unbiased coverage of public interest information. The articles analyzed a series of current news topics , distorted or presented in an intentionally erroneous way, for the purpose of misinforming the Moldovan public opinion.
The Discussion Platform was launched within the "Supporting Critical Thinking and Resistance to Disinformation in Moldova" project, implemented by IDIS "Viitorul", in the period January 2023 - October 2024, with the financial support of the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest. The Discussion Platform aims to facilitate cooperation between the public, journalists, and the regulatory agency in the context of the fight against disinformation in a national, regional, and international context. Also, this aims to ensure a participative environment for debate, with workshops where topics related to critical thinking, media literacy, analysis, resistance to disinformation, and reflecting information of public interest are discussed in an unbiased manner.
Carolina Ungureanu, project coordinator, and deputy director of IDIS "Viitorul": ”By launching this Discussion Platform, we want to draw attention to the numerous information that is currently being disseminated through many information channels and that needs to be assimilated carefully. They require critical thinking and analysis from various sources to avoid manipulation. Our object in launching this Platform is to investigate the tools, ways, and sources of disinformation, but also to provide constructive recommendations for citizens. Today we need to get much more involved in this regard. The speed with which information circulates is different than it was 20 or even 10 years ago. These processes influence the behavior of citizens and shape the mentality and thinking of man. We want to have a democratic society, where there is critical thinking, the possibility to reflect and understand which information is truthful and correct, with the possibility to express the opinions of all parties involved.”
Maria Nistor analyzed how some media sources manipulated, in political interest, narratives on the historical event of June 28, 1940, when, from a historical point of view, the day of the Soviet occupation, and how the pro-Russian parties from Chisinau celebrated it as "the liberation of Moldova from the Romanian occupation". Some information sources, according to Maria Nistor, published falsehoods on this occasion, supporting the ideological visions of pro-Russian political parties. "We know what happened on June 28, 1940. When I saw the report on Primul în Moldova I researched to find out why we have such material. I found out that the TV station has a suspended broadcast license, it was fined by the Broadcasting Council several times because it misinforms. It was previously affiliated with a political party with Russian views, and today, another pro-Russian party manages it. At the same time, the people who organized the protest action are members of another political party, which militates for the eastern direction of external orientation of the Republic of Moldova.”
Mihai Avasiloaie researched how the media manipulates the presentation of opinion surveys. Thus, he found out that ignoring the context, presenting opinions as facts, and blurring are some of the methods used in a news story kp.md related to a IPRE and CBS-AXA survey from July 2023. "Opinion surveys are often an opportunity for some media sources to manipulate. I found out, during the realization of this analysis, that the kp.md portal is a media source financed from Moscow and follows the narratives of Russian propaganda. The website (but also the newspaper Комсомольская правда) has intensively promoted the interests of the PSRM in recent years, being owned by the company of the former president of the Socialists from Parliament, Corneliu Furculita. An investigation by Ziarul de Gardă, from 2021, said that this company also owned the newspaper „Аргументы и Факты в Молдове” (aif.md.)”
Mihail Nesteriuc spoke about Moldovan-Romanian relations through the lens of Putinist disinformation. In his opinion, modern Russia inherited the foreign policy strategy from the USSR, which, instead of consolidating the people in their national states and attracting them to cooperate with the Russian people based on a project or an idea of mutual benefit, chose to divide nationalities into artificial blocs and control them. ”The situation in the Republic of Moldova, and the neighboring regions, remains complex and dynamic. Opinions on armaments, foreign policy, and geopolitical interests need careful consideration and discussion with all stakeholders. Policymakers and NGOs involved in information security and education must prepare citizens for disinformation and potential challenges of enemy propaganda.”
Cătălin Murzac analyzed how some media manipulated the subject of the Republic of Moldova's withdrawal from the Agreement on the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). ”The monitoring carried out shows that there are trends of informational manipulation in the content of the reports made by the television station OrizonTV. Rules of the Audiovisual Media Services Code of the Republic of Moldova were violated, such as: promoting audiovisual pluralism; correct, objective, complex, and impartial information; and promoting pluralistic public debates. To present the current authorities of the Republic of Moldova in a bad light, several types of manipulation were used. The statements of the authorities, although present in the reports, are taken out of context, and the contrary narrative is presented from dominant positions, through its quantity and diversity. The lack of impartial expertise and the omission of information, as well as its extraction from context, clearly mark the contours of manipulation.”
The attention of Pavel Vintilă was the manipulation of history in political interest, by political parties, through mass media channels. He analyzed how some media institutions reflected the date of August 24, 1944, when from a historical point of view the Iasi-Chisinau operation is marked. ”These historical, tragic events of national importance are used by the agents of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Moldova for political purposes, stepping over the historical truth, slandering the memory of thousands of Bessarabians, who became victims of the Soviet administration of occupation and, on the other hand, it wants to glorify, to praise the Soviet regime that was established in Bessarabia after the military operations of the summer of 1944. At the same time, all falsehoods and denigrations are directed at the government democratically elected by the citizens, in order to weaken its support, so that the hybrid war plans organized by Russia against the Republic of Moldova and the current pro-European leadership can be realized.”
Ludmila Barbă, journalist Moldova 1: ” I didn't know that today's young people have the desire to delve deeper and study the world of fakes, which dominate our standard of living, but also our thinking. I welcome the fact that these young people learned to distinguish between correct and false information. They must, through other activities, take this assimilated knowledge further. This is very important because propaganda and manipulation act on people's emotions.”
Irina Bejan, Regional Center for Community Development from Cahul: „Today, when we are bombarded with false information, we are increasingly being fed untruths, we are directly involved in a hybrid war and it is necessary to join forces to counter and prevent disinformation. A common platform between specialists, representatives of civil society, and the authorities, would be one solution that can contribute to this fight against propaganda and the influence of media aggressors. The more topics will be discussed within the Platform, the easier we will discern the lie from the truth and send the message that we are not afraid, we are ready to fight the attacks from outside in the information field.”
Until now, within the project "Supporting Critical Thinking and Resistance to Disinformation in Moldova", a mapping of media institutions and civil society organizations active in the media space was carried out. A meeting was organized with the members of the Audiovisual Council to announce the objectives of the project and estimate the contribution that civil society can have in this field. 20 sessions of the training program on critical thinking, media literacy, analysis, resistance to disinformation, and unbiased coverage of public interest information were conducted, where 31-35 people participated. Two infographics were also produced based on information from the Program. A study will be presented on how the most influential Moldovan media institutions reflect the internal and external problems that affect society, from the perspective of disinformation, the presentation of fake news, but also a Guide - signaling tool, on the principle of the "red flags", which will be a guide for journalists and media users, and will focus on ways to identify false information.
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The project "Supporting Critical Thinking and Resistance to Disinformation in Moldova," implemented by the IDIS "Viitorul" from January 2023 to October 2024, is financially supported by the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest.
IDIS "Viitorul" is an independent think tank established in 1993 that combines social, political and economic research with strong advocacy components. The institution conducts applied monitoring research on several areas: economics, social policy, EU policies, regional development, but also security and foreign policy risk.
Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/IDISViitorul ;
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The Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul" is implementing the project "Supporting critical thinking and resisting disinformation in the Republic of Moldova" from January 2023 to October 2024. The objective of the project is to enhance the capacities of media institutions, civil society organizations and the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Moldova in critical thinking, media literacy, analysis, resistance to misinformation and the coverage of public interest information in an unbiased manner.
The project will carry out a mapping of media institutions and civil society organisations active in the media space; a meeting will be organised with members of the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Moldova to outline the main objective of the project. A study will be carried out on how the most influential media institutions in the Republic of Moldova cover internal and external issues affecting society from the perspective of misinformation, the presentation of fake news and the implications of these actions for the country.
Thirty-five representatives of media institutions, students of journalism faculties and civil society organisations will be selected for a comprehensive 20-session training programme. Participants in the training programme will have the opportunity to apply their acquired knowledge in practice and to develop 15 evaluations / case studies / assessments or analyses on topics concerning our society but related to misinformation, media literacy and critical thinking. A cooperation platform will be created and regular meetings will be organized to present monitoring reports and make recommendations.
The project also aims to develop 12 infographics based on relevant information contained in the results and findings of studies, analyses, case studies, etc.
A "red flag tool" will be developed by experts in the field in the form of a guide for journalists and media users, focusing on how to identify false information.
The project "Supporting Critical Thinking and Resisting Disinformation in the Republic of Moldova", implemented by IDIS "Viitorul", is financially supported by the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest.
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IDIS "Viitorul" is an independent think tank established in 1993 that combines social, political and economic research with strong advocacy components. The institution conducts applied monitoring research in several areas: economics, social policy, EU policies, regional development, but also security and foreign policy risks.
Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/IDISViitorul ;
Subscribe to our Telegram channel - https://t.me/idis93 ;
Watch us on our Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@idisviitorul8539 .
