President at Media Forum: We need effective partnership between institutions, press, citizens in joint effort to protect democracy

Head of State Maia Sandu participated today in the tenth edition of the Media Forum, alongside more than 150 representatives of the press, media experts, representatives of civil society and international partners. 

Maia Sandu congratulated journalists and thanked them for the efforts in defending democracy against increasingly difficult threats to counter.

“You have been a pillar of resilience during a period when our society was subjected to enormous pressures. In recent years, the press in the Republic of Moldova has demonstrated remarkable democratic maturity,” emphasized Maia Sandu.

The head of state reiterated that the Republic of Moldova continues to face aggressive manipulation campaigns intended to weaken citizens' trust in institutions and the country's European path.

“Manipulation, technologies that allow almost perfect falsifications, coordinated attacks on public trust, heavily funded propaganda distributed through fake accounts by hostile actors — all these represent a sophisticated arsenal that generates an extremely volatile information environment. If we do not acknowledge this, do not prepare, and do not join forces, democracy risks being defeated by falsehoods and manipulation,” Maia Sandu said.

The head of state urged the media community, experts and content producers to collaborate more closely to enhance the effectiveness and response capacity in the face of hybrid threats.

“We must also see how we can strengthen the capacity of editorial offices, including through the shared use of resources. Collaboration between media institutions, sharing expertise and infrastructure can be among the most effective solutions. We need an effective partnership between institutions, press and citizens in the common effort to protect democracy and defend the values on which our society is based,” Maia Sandu noted.

The Media Forum in the Republic of Moldova is now in its 10th edition and is organized annually by the Press Council in partnership with the Independent Press Association (API), the Center for Independent Journalism (CJI) and the Electronic Press Association (APEL). 

The full speech of the head of state can be followed here.