Disinformation is omnipresent in the web and on social media. The Republic of Moldova is particularly affected by Russian disinformation campaigns due to its EU accession aspirations and the war of aggression in Ukraine. Therefore, it is important for young Moldovans to be able to recognize and respond to fake news.
This is the goal of the Local Disinfo Labs. In three local events in the Moldovan cities Comrat, Balti and Falesti, experts provide information on current disinformation campaigns in the context of the war in Ukraine and present strategies to combat them. Based on concrete examples, they discuss the impact of disinformation on the Moldovan society, as well as the responsibility of state, economic and civil society actors in combating it. This raises the awareness of the local population for fake news and strengthens their resilience against disinformation campaigns.
In the second part of the Local Disinfo Labs, the participants are asked to develop their own ideas for combating disinformation in the Republic of Moldova with the help of the experts. In doing so, they can reflect on the knowledge they have acquired and apply it creatively. Participants can also take part in a fellowship program, in which particularly promising project ideas are supported with a grant. Successful applicants will also have the opportunity to present their projects to a broad audience from politics and civil society at the reforMD final conference.