Fake news fight prioritized at Chișinău conference
Innovative ways to combat disinformation, information manipulation and foreign interference were discussed on Friday in Chisinau, at a conference organised by the Council of Europe and the Audiovisual Council. The conference participants also drew attention to hate speech, which erodes public trust and undermines the integrity of democratic processes not only in the Republic, but also in Europe.
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, argues that democratic security requires a security architecture that strengthens institutions in which citizens can trust.
"When facts and lies come to people's attention, the truth does not always win. To change this, we need to go back to basics, invest in fact-checking, support quality journalism, and help people build resilience against manipulation. The Republic of Moldova shows us the path we need to follow," said Alain Berset.
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, emphasized that information manipulation cannot be separated from military strategy in the case of the war we have on the border.
"Cognitive warfare is not an episode, but a permanent state. And it does not only affect the Republic of Moldova, throughout Europe we see the same patterns: attempts to divide societies, weaken trust in institutions and influence political choices from the outside. Russia's war against Ukraine is the clearest example. In addition to military aggression, there is also a parallel effort to manipulate perceptions in Europe", the head of state noted.
The conference brought together representatives of governments from several states and civil society.
"We have several information centers and strategic communication structures in the country, which work to counter Russia's information influence. I want to emphasize that this is a major challenge for our country and we need to join forces in this information area," says Yuliia Yanchuk, Deputy Director, Department of Strategic Communication, Ukraine.
"The fact that we are reaching a point where society says it no longer knows what to believe. That is a point where our opponent has won a first stage. The lack of trust, the lack of reference, the lack of capacity to validate certain moments and information is critical", notes Valentin Jucan, president of the Audiovisual Council, Romania.
"It targets the electoral processes themselves, the existence of democratic processes and democratic institutions, this is what must be protected, democracy is not a given. Democracy must be protected and if you want to live well in a democratic country, you must fight for it", emphasized Liliana Vițu, president of the Audiovisual Council of the Republic of Moldova.
Experts from Council of Europe member states have already prepared a feasibility study that foreign ministers will discuss at the Committee of Ministers session to be held in Chisinau in May.
