Fulbright Update:
In Russia-loving Transnistria, journalists gather for media brunch
Though I’ve been to Moldova many times, and lived here since September, last Thursday was my first foray into Transnistria.

For the uninitiated, Transnistria is a break-away region of Moldova. In 1993, a group of Russian-backed separatists fought a brief was against the rest of Moldova and broke away from Moldova, forming what they call the Prednistrovian Republic. This enclave is not recognized as a country by any other nation, even their Russian backers (some would say, puppet-masters). An estimated 1500 Russian troops are stationed in Transnistria, Russian flags fly everywhere, and there are multiple of statues of Lenin glowering over stark Soviet-style squares.

Lenin: Right at home in Transnistria

This time, the cliché is true: I really was back in the USSR.

It was infuriating and disheartening to see the Russian flags in Transnistria, given Russia’s unjustified, brutal war against Ukraine and Ukrainians. These visible pro-Russian sentiments are evidence of the success of Russian propaganda that justifies Putin’s brutality, and the acute need for more media literate Transnistrians (and others Moldovans who consume Russian language media) who are able to more critically analyze media messages, their sources, and the motivations behind them. Putin and his anti-democratic henchmen are already hard at work spreading disinformation to stop Moldovans from approving EU membership during a referendum this fall. Media literacy is needed help blunt these attacks, which the Moldovans call a hybrid war.

Upon entering Transnistria, as an American, I was told to expect some scrutiny or even harassment at the “border.” This did not happen, and we were through the checkpoint, armed by Russian and Transnistrian soldiers, in 2 minutes. I’m guessing the fact I was with a UN delegation in a big white SUV with “UN” stenciled on the side may have had something to do with that.

The occasion for my visit to Bender was a UN Media Brunch, gathering reporters from Transnistria and the rest of Moldova to discuss responsibly reporting about refugees using a peace journalism framework. The UN Human Rights office arranged an expert array of panelists who presented statistics about the number and status of refugees and discussed how NGO’s here help refugees. Noteworthy were our discussions about Roma refugees, who face a double stigma of being refugees and being discriminated against as Roma. 

A Ukrainian refugee spoke to the group about the struggles she’s endured since coming to Moldova in 2022. She discussed how she has battled uncertainty and depression, fought to obtain health care, and struggled to find a job. “You can’t understand how much it hurts until you experience it,” she said. (I am withholding her name for her protection).

I closed the event by asking the journalists to scrutinize their own work using a number of questions that I presented. These are:

--Am I framing stories as “us vs. them?”
--Am I dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotyping “them?” (refugees)
--Am I spreading propaganda?
--Does my media outlet serve politicians or a political agenda, or the public?
--Do my stories build brides between refugees and their hosts, and between Transnistria and the rest of Moldova?
--Do I ever publish positive stories about “them?”

The session was interesting and useful, and indicative of the excellent bridge-building work being done by the UN Human Rights office here in Moldova. It’s an honor working with them.

(NOTE: The views expressed here are my own, and don’t represent the views of UN Human Rights, which of course must strictly maintain its neutrality. --SY)

Media Brunch, Bender