“Media education for NGOs”: a platform for collaboration and the development of critical thinking in communities
Different age groups, fields of training, and experience in the associative sector, but united by common interests and concerns regarding the challenges and vulnerabilities of the information space, 25 representatives of civil society participated in a training program focused on media education, organized by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) on February 5-6.
According to Ina Grejdeanu, IJC’s strategic development director, the training was addressed to non-governmental organizations working in the field of human rights and those representing vulnerable and/or excluded groups. “For over ten years, at the IJC we have been promoting media education with the firm conviction that, today, critical thinking is perhaps one of the most important skills for everyday life. Requests from NGOs for such training motivated us to organize this activity. In a context marked by widespread misinformation and a growing need for social cohesion, media literacy can be a reliable ally in this difficult journey, and NGOs can amplify its impact in their communities,” said Ina Grejdeanu in the opening session of the training.
She also mentioned that, through this program, the IJC team aimed to provide NGO representatives with essential skills in media education and critical thinking, encouraging them to become active multipliers and ambassadors of information literacy in their communities and organizations.
Over the course of two days, journalist Ana Sîrbu, a trainer in the training, tried to translate essential theoretical concepts in the field of media education and journalism into simple language that everyone could understand, providing them with keys to understanding how they can apply the principles of healthy information in their daily work. “You may often ask yourselves: How does information circulate today and where does the truth break down? What are the differences between information, opinion, propaganda, and manipulation? How can we quickly verify information without being journalists? How can we, as NGO workers, avoid mistakes in communication and how can we avoid unintentionally spreading misinformation? To find answers to these and other questions, you must first be familiar with the basic concepts of media education,” Ana Sîrbu told them.
The expert pointed out that, as NGO workers, they are also opinion makers, so they need to be particularly careful about how they react publicly to certain information. “If you write an incorrect message or share something false, those who follow you will pick it up and spread it. Why? Because they trust you. Don’t rush to post or express your opinion about something or someone if you haven’t researched or documented it previously. Wait. Check. The way you react influences the general mood of the community. Try to create positive emotions, and if you hear or see information that is not true—do not label, blame, or attack those who have made a wrong post. Hide their names, take a screenshot, and explain that what was published or broadcast may be a rumor. If you know of any credible sources where they could verify the information, provide them,” urged Ana Sîrbu.
The trainer also explained that “this training is not about teaching people what to believe, but about helping them develop healthy reflexes in relation to information. The goal was for participants to leave with simple tools that they could immediately apply in their work with communities, not with theoretical definitions. The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of NGOs to work responsibly with information. We focused on recognizing emotions, basic verification of messages, and the difference between informing and educating, so that media education becomes a constant practice, not an isolated event,” concluded journalist Ana Sârbu.
Media expert Viorica Zaharia, who was present at the training in a session dedicated to professional ethics for journalists, spoke to participants about certain sensitive topics that are often used to misinform society. She gave several examples of headlines and articles that have appeared in the Romanian press to artificially fuel envy, hatred, and discontent among certain groups of people towards others.
“The long-term goal of misinformation is to destroy social cohesion, to make people constantly argue, to be divided and polarized. How is this achieved? By exploiting and extracting sensitive topics and historical traumas, by inventing problems where they do not actually exist or are minor. A society that has been manipulated in this way, ground down by controversy, is drained of energy, weak, and unable to develop and move forward. People also suffer, as disinformation uses hate speech and promotes intolerance and disrespect for human dignity. That is why we must learn to ignore irrelevant information that does not help us to be better informed, and select information that at least meets basic ethical standards in journalism,” said Viorica Zaharia.
The media expert also spoke to participants about the obligation journalists have in their profession—to respect the Code of Ethics as a tool against disinformation and a stimulating factor in promoting social cohesion.
Participants also took part in many practical sessions, in which they had to “rewrite a message in a responsible version”; answered several questions about how to verify, without being journalists, whether information is correct or not (live mini-quiz), and participated in a practical workshop in which they practiced explaining media literacy to a grandmother, a teenager, or a volunteer.
In the final session of the training, each participant had the opportunity to outline a mini-plan for multiplying media literacy in the NGO they represent. The ideas presented during the training will be refined together with the team, after which participants will be encouraged to apply the knowledge they have acquired to initiate media literacy activities in their communities and/or for the groups they represent. To this end, each team/organization will receive small honoraria to cover basic operational expenses.
Participants will have three months (February-April) to implement the planned media education activities in their communities. Among the initiatives already discussed during the summary session are thematic meetings, training sessions, public debates, competitions, explanatory videos, film screenings, and podcast cuMinte, followed by discussions on media education topics, etc.
At the end of the training, NGO representatives mentioned that the activity they participated in was more than just a regular training, because they understood how strongly they are manipulated by artificial intelligence, learned how to post correctly, found out how subtle manipulation is, how image transfer is done between their own opinion and the NGO they represent, etc.
MEDIA EDUCATION SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF TRAINING PARTICIPANTS
Irina Mihalciuc, administrator of AO “Mirkiras,” Gagauzia, Ceadîr Lunga
I consider my participation in this training to be a valuable and practical experience. It was the first training on this topic that I attended. The course helped me to look at the role of NGOs as a source of information in a new way and to realize how important it is to communicate with society in a responsible, clear, and non-manipulative manner, to be more attentive to the organization’s posts and to those we make as representatives of the organization on our personal pages. The practical exercises, analysis of real examples, and tools for quickly verifying information, which can be immediately applied in daily work with communities, were particularly useful. I have gained knowledge and developed skills to further promote media literacy in our organization’s work.
Daniela Caraman, beneficiary, AO “Motivation,” Chișinău
The media education training was a relevant experience, well anchored in current reality. I appreciated the emphasis on critical thinking, responsibility in the consumption and distribution of information, and the impact of misinformation on communities. The interactive methods and concrete examples facilitated a deep understanding of the topics covered. For me, as someone active in the field of communication and civic engagement, the training offered useful and applicable perspectives. I believe that such initiatives are essential and should be extended to as many groups as possible, especially young people and those vulnerable to information manipulation.
Diana Grosu, Human Rights Association “Lex XXI“, Bălți
As active members of our communities, we must be able to recognize the signs that may indicate disinformation, manipulation, or propaganda. Let’s be prepared and inform other members of the community. Let’s make our voices heard. Standing in line at the store, on the street—let’s have the courage to intervene, to get involved, to explain. If we don’t do this, those with bad intentions will, and they will spread misinformation. Media education is something that cuts across sectors. In conjunction with other social activities we carry out, when we open the door to a beneficiary, it is not difficult to ask them: What have you been watching on TV? What new things have you learned on social media? I think this is a very important topic for the times we live in.
Rafaela Malic, volunteer, Oberliht Young Artists Association, Chișinău
In general, I am very skeptical about information on the Internet. Even about my friends’ posts. What I want after this training is to take action based on the knowledge I have gained. I am thinking of some posts in the NGO’s Telegram chat, explaining certain concepts, presenting podcasts about media education and the Media Radar portal, which evaluates the credibility of various news sites. I also want to organize a training session on journalism and another podcast on alternative cultural spaces. We hope to succeed and that you will learn about all these activities.
The training is organized as part of the project “Fostering social cohesion and trust through media literacy and inclusive media content”, implemented by the Independent Journalism Center from October 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, with the support of Switzerland.
