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.
