cuMINTE podcast named its winners. Find out who they are!
Three students won the „cuMINTE Podcast Challenges You to Think Critically”, a competition that was carried out on February 11 in Chisinau by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC).
The competition gathered 15 young people from a number of cities and towns of Moldova who tested their knowledge during the three stages of the competition by giving answers to questions related to the cuMINTE podcast content, such as: What is critical thinking and how does it help us in everyday life? Why is it important to use several sources of information? What is cuMINTE podcast, what does the podcast offer to its listeners, and why should we not miss a single episode?
For the third stage, the participants prepared a speech in which they explained why young people should listen to the cuMINTE podcast.
At the end, the jury named three winners who were awarded with a laptop each. They are:
- Georgeta Nicoara, 12th grade student at Olimp Lyceum (Puhaceni, Anenii Noi);
- Sofia Bondarenco, 9th grade student at Ion Luca Caragiale Theater Gymnasium (Chisinau);
- Silvia Iurcu, 12th grade student at Gheorghe Palade Lyceum (Puhoi, Ialoveni).
„Participating in this competition has been a unique experience. I learned so many new things. As for the cuMINTE podcast, I recommend it to everyone because it helps us filter information with a sober mind. Forewarned is forearmed”, said Silvia Iurcu.
„For me it has been an unforgettable experience that supplied me with useful knowledge”, said Sofia Bondarenco.
„As a participant, but also as a citizen of this country, I understand that the media should be treated with caution. Today’s competition convinced me of it, and I encourage everyone to critically analyze everything that goes on in the world”, Georgeta Nicoara added.
Dorina Popovici, Media Education teacher at Da VINCI Lyceum, one of the Profe, Cărți și Oameni podcast hosts and a member of the jury, noted the competitors’ enthusiasm. „The emotion you have conveyed here has been more than authentic. Continue listening to cuMINTE podcast; continue being podcast’s ambassadors because it is, in fact, what you have done today, and – why not? – you might create your own podcast in future. But most importantly, continue thinking critically and using your head, and you will succeed”, Dorina Popovici encouraged the participants.
Members of the jury also included Victor Gotisan, media researcher, and Natalia Zaharescu, journalist and host of the ZdCe podcast by Ziarul de Gardă.
The event was also attended by some competitor supporters who noted the students’ involvement, as well as the need for such youth initiatives: „As long as we have children who think and know how to choose, analyze critically and identify the truth, this country has a future. I felt wonderful as I listened to the competitors today”, added Angela Plamadeala, teacher at Olimp Lyceum (Puhaceni, Anenii Noi).
With this activity, IJC intended to encourage youth to build critical thinking skills, while the cuMINTE podcast provides valuable opportunities in this regard. “cuMINTE podcast was born during the pandemic out of the willingness to diversify media education resources and make them available to media consumers. And while the pandemic is far behind, we are witnessing some events that show us how we always need critical thinking. That is why I encourage you to stay smart with cuMINTE podcast”, said Ina Grejdeanu, strategic development director at IJC.
cuMINTE podcast is the country’s first media education podcast launched by IJC in 2020. Its purpose is to guide the audience in everything that is about disinformation, manipulation and fake news. All podcast episodes can be found on the Mediacritica platform in the cuMINTE Podcast section. The podcast has been produced since November 2023 with the support of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
The competition was organized by the Independent Journalism Center as part of “Promoting media literacy among media consumers through quality media content”, a project implemented from November 2022 through March 2023 with the support of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
