Fulbright scholarship (PJ, disinformation) launches in Moldova
(PARKVILLE, MO AND CHISINAU, MOLDOVA)—As adventures and challenges go, it doesn’t get much more intense than this.

 “This” is a Fulbright Scholarship to Moldova, where I’ll be from September through next May (with a break around the holidays). The theme of this Fulbright, my third, is peace journalism and countering disinformation, something that’s sorely needed in Moldova.

According to the report Blurring the Truth by the Konrad Adaneur Foundation, “Moldova is particularly vulnerable to foreign, i.e. Russian propaganda. The propaganda circulating in the country (especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine) focuses particularly on disenfranchising NATO, the European Union, and the West in general. This phenomenon triggers political polarization within Moldovan society, which influences the public agenda and decision making processes….”

The challenging part, then, will be working with my Moldovan partners to develop tools to help media consumers and journalists counter disinformation, while improving traditional journalism practices so that media build bridges between Romanian and Russian speaking communities in Moldova.

Specifically, my activities in Moldova will include projects at/with:

a. State University of Moldova-guest lectures; develop curriculum;
b. Centrul Media pentru Tineri (Youth Media Center)-- Design coursework; teach workshops and seminars for high school journalists;
C. Independent Journalism Center/Moldova Journalism School-Short courses/lectures for professional journalists;
D. Regional workshops (Romania, Georgia, Ukraine, Bosnia, Belgium, etc.);
F. Rotary Club of Chisinau activities.

The adventure part will be just as challenging and interesting. I had a previous Fulbright in Moldova in 2001, but that’s a lifetime ago, when the country was still trying to shake off the rust from 70 years in the Soviet Union. So while I do speak Romanian, the national language, much of what I’m about to experience will be new and thus invigorating. I look forward to further immersing myself in the language and culture of Moldova.

Stay tuned to this space for regular updates from Chisinau and environs during the next nine months.

PS—Here are some reading/viewing materials to catch you up on Moldova. This is extra credit, of course.

1. My Zoom presentation about my Fulbright, given to Park University faculty:
https://www.innovatepark.org/lunch-n-learn

2. Articles about Moldova:
https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/90356?utm_source=ctw

https://news.sky.com/story/future-wars-moldovas-similarities-with-ukraine-and-its-uneasy-relationship-with-russia-12933344

 

Chisinau, Moldova Primaria (city hall)