To What Extent Is the Press Credible? Lycee Pupils from Telenesti Ask

A new media education lesson, conducted on 23^rd of November at “Adrian Paunescu” Theoretic Lycee of Cazanesti, district of Telenesti, involved the pupils in constructive discussions about the press. This time, the about 50 young people who met the journalist Liliana Barbarosie wondered how a media outlet operates, what is the role of mass-media in the society and, in general, how credible is the Moldovan press today.
 
The journalist Liliana Barbarosie explained to the participants how forgeries can be detected in the media and how to differentiate the good news from the manipulative ones. “The professional news should be based on facts, not on opinions, have at least two balanced sources and respond to the basic questions: Who? What? Where? When? How? Why?”, the journalist said. As a support for these statements, video spots produced by the IJC were presented to the pupils: “About the news in everyone’s language”; “Do you know what media you consume?”; “Do not consider us stupid”, that promote the journalistic accuracy, helping the media consumers to protect themselves against the informational manipulation.

The young people were interested in the issue of media monopolization, and in the ways how to detect press forgeries. In this context, they expressed their opinions about the TV stations and publications they get informed from, specifying which of them they consider as independent and which ones – as politically affiliated.

The pupil Catalin Carp said that due to his participation in this meeting he could understand that not all TV stations provide accurate information, “therefore, we need to consult multiple sources in order to avoid being manipulated”.

His colleague, Eugenia Ciurca, shared the same opinion: “Such activities are important for all those who have no other sources of information, besides television, taking into account that certain TV stations belong to politicians and are used by them for their political interests”.

This activity was the final one held in 2016 within the IJC campaign “Call us to your school!”.

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The “Promoting Media Literacy and Professional Standards in the Media for an Informed Public” project is being implemented by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) with the financial support of Soros-Foundation – Moldova/Media Program.

The Independent Journalism Center (IJC) is the first media organization that provides aid to journalists and media outlets in Moldova, having the goal to contribute to strengthening free and viable press via projects that offer training in the area of journalism and public relations, media campaigns, advocacy, research and media education.