14 journalists and representatives of non-governmental organizations were trained on December 2 and 3 on Fact-Checking and Data Processing.

Experts in this field – Cristina Lupu from the Independent Journalism Center from Bucharest and reporter Mariana Rata from Anticoruptie.md – told the participants about open data and fact-checking sources in Moldova. In terms of practice, participants learned to use open data tools to produce journalistic materials, to integrate data journalism in various types of media, and to involve the public in the verification of data.

According to trainers, the topics approached are of great importance in preparing journalistic materials, which eventually reach media consumers.

“In the digital age, traditional journalism has come under siege, so the need to ‘reinvent’ the methods of presenting information of public interest is stringent. Data journalism is a new trend in the media all over the world, but it is not very well known and used in Moldova,” Mariana Rata believes.

Participants said that such training courses should be organized more often, especially for different types of media, so the journalistic products they deliver be well-argued and contain true data that are important for the general public.

“At global level, fakes and information manipulation have been growing in recent years, and Moldova is no exception… In a world where we are increasingly vulnerable in terms of information, it is important that we use the knowledge about fact checking, accessing open data, obtaining and verifying information, so we don’t only deliver truthful information, but also are able to fight the untruths that appear and are spread in the public space,” said Mihai Avasiloaie, journalist of Agora.md.

“Data journalism has become a tool widely used by the most prestigious media outlets in the world, and I believe at one point Moldovan journalists should also start practicing it. Sometimes figures and statistics can say more than an entire text, and we, journalists, must know how to present this information in an interactive and dynamic way. For that, we can use various viewing tools, such as maps, infographics, charts, and so on. All these things I found out about at this training course,” said Diana Bulai, one of the participants.

“From the training, I got new information about data processing and tools that can be used for data viewing. Experts told us about and showed several models of fact checking, as quality journalism is based on the use of verified and credible data. I will definitely use the things we studied and tried at the course in my work as a journalist,” said Oxana Chihaial of the GRT broadcasting company from Gagauzia.

The training has been organized by the Independent Journalism Center as a partner of the “Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion and Accountability in Moldova” (MEDIA-M) project, funded by the USAID and implemented by Internews. The MEDIA-M project aims to promote the development of independent and professional media in Moldova, offering to citizens access to a variety of perspectives and contributing to greater resistance of the media to political and financial pressures.