A national campaign to tackle false news in the context of the on-going regional crisis is carried out by the Moldova’s independent national weekly newspaper, Ziarul de Garda, which has the widest readership in the country, with the support of the Council of Europe Project “Support for Media Pluralism and Freedom of Expression in the Republic of Moldova.”

The initiative carried out throughout March-May 2022 comes to address the rising tendencies towards the spread of information disorder in the Republic of Moldova, following the start of the war in Ukraine and the refugee influx into the country. To address these, a special column has been introduced in the newspaper, aiming to reveal and debunk the main false news of the week spread on all types of communication channels (TV, radio, online and social media). Additionally, a series of VOX materials and video reportages, also developed within the campaign, from various regions across Moldova, aim to inquire and reflect on the sources of information used by citizens when informing themselves about the regional context and the importance of reliable media consumption.

The campaign has shown to be popular among media consumers in Moldova: the first VOX video, which asked citizens about their take on the situation in Ukraine’s Bucha and what are their main sources of information on the war has over 205 000 views and received 2200 likes in only five days.