Media Education Workshop at the UESM. Journalism Students Master the Challenges Related to Their Future Profession
21 students from the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences at the University of European Studies of Moldova (UESM), as well as lyceum pupils from the European Theoretical Lyceum founded by the UESM participated in a media education training workshop, during which they discussed importance and necessity of analytical and critical thinking skills, challenges of contemporary journalism, as well as the quality of information and digital technologies’ impact on media products spreading in the public space. The event was organised by the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) in partnership with the UESM on November 28.
Grigore Partac, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences (UESM), welcomed the idea of organizing the training workshop: “Due to the fact that the information space is permanently affected by propaganda and disinformation, in order to become a good specialist, one needs profound knowledge and critical thinking and analysis practical skills to be able to face all the challenges related to these alarming phenomena typical of contemporary society.”
Journalist Ana Sarbu, university lecturer and workshop trainer, mentioned that, regardless of the type of journalism they would practice, informing the public correctly would be their basic responsibility.
“In the digital era, fake news is a real threat to democracy and to citizens’ trust in the state authorities. Disinformation affects not only public opinion, but also social stability and national security. Educating the public in the spirit of critical thinking and teaching them to analyze information sources is essential. Countering propaganda is a joint effort which involves all the stakeholders in society (the state authorities, civil society, and citizens). As future journalists, content creators, and information consumers, you should know that independent and responsible media play a crucial part in revealing manipulation and providing a space for the truth,” she said.
The journalist invited the young people to analys several examples from the press to identify fake news and understand the principles behind detecting them; they discussed how disinformation appears, the techniques used for manipulation, and the purpose of propaganda.
“As a rule, fake news items are written and published in order to mislead public opinion, to damage an institution’s or a person’s reputation, and also to gain some financial or political advantage. Most often, fake news emerges online; therefore, you need to be vigilant when gathering information and choosing topics or protagonists for your future materials,” Ana Sarbu warned the audience. “In addition to news websites spreading fake content – usually for the sake of political propaganda – there are websites publishing fake content for gaining views and obtaining financial profit. The more views they have, the more money they get. These platforms are called clickbait websites,” the journalist also told them.
During the workshop, the young people did several practical exercises, learning what the signs of fake news or websites publishing fake news are. “If the title of a news item affects the audience emotionally and induces panic, this news item may be a fake one. If you only see the title and the image for a ‘news item,’ and to read the full content, you must first share it on social networks, there is no doubt you have come across fake news. Let me share a piece of advice with you: no matter how tempting the title may sound, if a window appears when you try to open a news item, and you are asked to share it, never open this news item. Reflect on the reliability of the news items or the website by asking yourself critical questions: why is the author’s name is missing? Or Why the contact details of the newsroom are not provided? There are also some other important clues: no sources are quoted, or a quote is invented/refers to some anonymous sources; the images accompanying the information have no captions and are often borrowed from foreign countries; the texts are inaccurately written and contain many grammatical and stylistic errors,” the trainer explained, urging the audience to check any suspicious information using several media sources they trust.
The participants also examined the popularity of anti-EU narratives. “During the election campaigns, the information space is systematically exposed to disinformation and mass manipulation aimed at influencing citizens’ political decisions and intoxicating public opinion in order to cause social discontent. All of us witnessed disinformation circulating intensely during the election campaign before the presidential elections and the constitutional republican referendum of 20 October 2024. The anti-EU myths were a tool for undermining the European path of the Republic of Moldova. As ordinary citizens and as the media representatives, we have a vital task to expose fake narratives and to explain the real benefits of European integration for citizens,” journalist Ana Sarbu said.
Phishing, trolling, and deepfake were the other notions discussed during the media education training workshop. The participants were actively involved in the discussions, and at the end of the session, they mentioned they had learned many useful things which would help them in their professional activity.
Diana Grigorsciuc, 3rd-year student: “It was an extremely useful workshop. What I liked the most was the discussions about TikTok, a social platform popular among young people, where a lot of disinformation circulates. Online journalism implies both opportunities and all sorts of challenges we must be prepared for. This type of information is necessary for all social platform users to avoid being misguided by fakes. I would like to take part in such workshops in the future.”
Alina Condrea, 3rd-year student: “I am glad I have taken part in this workshop because I have learned many new things. I guess such activities should be practiced more often at the UESM, including at the Faculty of Journalism. At the faculty, we study many important things related to our future profession; it is a dynamic field that appeals to anyone who shares this passion and/or vocation. However, no matter how much you learn, you can never claim to know it all.”
Vasile Balan, 3rd-year student: “I believe such workshops deserve to be filmed and shared throughout the country – starting with primary schools to higher educational institutions. Only in this way we could counter disinformation and manipulation which influence our minds and behavior. To make optimal decisions, we need critical thinking. Without necessary knowledge or skills, people can be easily misguided by fake news, deepfakes, or other manipulation tools and techniques new information technologies offer.”
Daniela Sitari, deputy dean of the faculty: “During the course, the students attend theoretical study lectures. However, meetings with those who work as journalists and share their own experience and good practices in this sphere are always beneficial to the students because they improve the knowledge they have acquired in the classroom and give additional value to the practical aspects which are quite necessary for their future profession.”
MIL workshop was organised within the “Responding, Expanding and Acting on Disinformation” project (READ), implemented jointly by International Media Support (IMS) from Denmark and the Independent Journalism Center (IJC), with the financial support of the European Union.
