The Independent Journalism Center (IJC) has published a report monitoring misinformation narratives on YouTube during the parliamentary election campaign in the Republic of Moldova, which took place on September 28, 2025.
In recent years, YouTube has become an increasingly relevant platform in Moldova’s online information architecture, consolidating its role not only as a source of entertainment, but also as a space for shaping public opinion on socio-political events of major interest.
The network ranks second in popularity among the most popular social networks in the country, according to the latest research by the Independent Journalism Center. The media audience study in the Republic of Moldova, published by the IJC in June 2025, shows that YouTube is one of the main sources of information for the majority of the population: 85% of respondents say they use the platform constantly, with more than half (52%) accessing it daily. The YouTube audience is predominantly young (18–24 years old), professionally active, with an average or higher level of education and incomes above the national average, concentrated in urban areas – especially in the southern and northern regions and the municipality of Chișinău.
In this context, the IJC analyzed the content published on 15 YouTube channels between August 29 and September 28, 2025, to understand how the platform contributes to shaping public perceptions, amplifying harmful messages, and influencing electoral behavior.
Among the main findings:
- The dominant narratives focused on delegitimizing pro-European authorities and Maia Sandu as head of state, conveying recurring themes such as political repression, election rigging, persecution of the opposition, and the capture of the state by the West or NATO;
- The conspiracy framework was portrayed in particular through the figure of George Soros and the “Sorosists”;
- Disinformation was propagated through several interconnected channels, including former audiovisual media service providers who, after their licenses were suspended, migrated to YouTube and continued to broadcast partisan and often synchronized content;
- User comments played a major amplifying role, multiplying the volume of narratives present in the videos several times over. Intense, sometimes coordinated activity by a small number of commentators was also identified.
The monitoring was carried out within the project “Resilient Media, Informed Voters: Safeguarding Moldova’s Elections from Disinformation”, funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Moldova. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the donor.
