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Participants were given general notions of journalism and some of the most recurrent manipulation techniques used by the media were explained, including image manipulation. They learned what a professional news report should look like and why it is important to ensure opinion pluralism in the media.
Viorica Zaharia spoke to young people about false information spread on social networks and explained to how one can protect themselves from it: “Today, each of us has the possibility to access information on the Internet, either from a computer or from a mobile phone, but we often don’t even realize that a certain photo or piece of information is fake. As a rule, false information is used to manipulate or create panic in society,” the journalist said.
Diana Raileanu referred to false information in the media, too. She gave a very simple example: as they go shopping and make sure that the goods they buy are of good quality, so they should do with news, making sure that the news story answers the five mandatory questions – Who? What? When? Where? How? – and refers to at least two independent sources.
Young people claim that such information is extremely necessary for them and helps them identify manipulative materials.
Alina Botezatu, a 12th grade student at “Prometeu” High School in Baraboi told us that she will analyze news much more carefully. “This activity helped me understand how to choose news so I don’t get fooled by fake news. Such lessons are good for us,” she added.
Her colleague Dumitru Pantar also learned useful things, and he thinks he will be able to tell his friends about them. “Everybody has to ask themselves if the news they read on the Internet or hear on the radio or on TVs is believable,” the student said.
Tatiana Cucu, student at “Pan Halippa” High School in Edinet, believes that such activities help young people avoid becoming victims of manipulation. “Many of us were unable to find our way through the sea of information that exists today, but after this lesson I think it will be easier for us to distinguish a true story from a false one,” she said.
The purpose of media literacy lessons is to foster critical thinking among young media consumers so that they can distinguish manipulative information and diversify their sources of information.
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Media literacy lessons are part of the "Strengthening Freedom of Opinion in Repubiic of Moldova" project, implemented by the IJC in the period of March to November 2017 with the support of Deutsche Welle Akademie and funded from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany.
