Media education for young people in Straseni

25 students of “Ion Vatamanu” high-school in Straseni discussed about news, manipulation and the role of the journalist in society within a media literacy lesson, which took place on February 16. The activity was organized by the Independent Journalism Center and moderated by Radio Free Europe journalist- Liliana Barbarosie.

By comparing a series of journalistic materials, broadcast in Moldova and abroad, the students learned about criteria of differentiation among manipulative and truthful news. “Unlike other press materials, the news has to follow some precise, almost mathematic rules, in order to be correct and unbiased. First of all, it has to be based on facts, not opinions. Also, conflict news must present in a balanced way the points of view of all parts involved. Another essential rule is that facts in news are more important than comments. Check the news on these criteria and it will be easy for you to understand who is telling the truth and who is trying to lie”, explained Liliana Barbarosie.

The journalist added that in the current circumstances, when the advertising market in Moldova is relatively small, many press institutions cannot afford to survive as profitable businesses.  Therefore, a big part of these institutions are owned by politicians or businessmen, which, in exchange for the invested money, want to promote themselves. This happens in other countries as well, but there, the real owners of media trusts are obligated to declare their identity. This measure should also be imposed by the legal frame in Moldova also, so that the media consumers could easily know if someone tries to manipulate them”, highlighted Liliana Barbarosie.

At the end of the activity, the students remarked the usefulness of media literacy lessons for young people: “We live in a country that still needs to work a lot on the information culture. Many citizens can be easily influenced, just like sponges that absorb everything that appears on TV. People don’t understand what really happens behind the screen. Media literacy lessons are very useful, because they help us develop the critical thinking and recognize the manipulative news”, told us Nicoleta Tirdea, student in the Xth grade.

Her colleague, Adrian Fillip added: ”Unfortunately, many persons don’t see the difference among correct and manipulative news. These lessons are welcomed among the young people, because we are members of this society, so it is very important to inform ourselves correctly from the media”.

The event took place as part of the project “Promoting media literacy among Moldovan citizens”, implemented by the IJC between March 2014 and April 2015 with the financial support of the US Embassy in Moldova.