Young People Debunked Disinformation at the Information Resilience Camp
From August 1–3, 19 young people from various regions of Moldova gathered in Vadul lui Vodă for the first edition of the Information Resilience Camp – an interactive program that combined debates, hands-on workshops, and creative simulations designed to equip participants with real tools to recognize, counter, and explain disinformation in their communities.
The camp was officially opened by Alina Radu, Director of Ziarul de Gardă, and Máté Csicsai, Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Moldova. Participants started by sharing their expectations and concerns about the topic, then assessed their initial level of understanding through an interactive quiz and self-evaluation.
Over three days, the young people attended sessions led by journalists, media experts, and influencers including Victor Moșneag, Petru Macovei, Lilia Zaharia, Natalia Zaharescu, Cătălin Lungu, Teodora Panuș, Mihaela Melnic, and Anatolie Eșanu. They learned how disinformation works in 2025, who controls the media and how to choose trustworthy sources, the role influencers play in spreading or combating fake news, and how to create viral content that serves the public interest.
Some of the most appreciated activities included fake campaign simulations where participants learned to think “like a manipulator” and video/social media workshops, where they created content for Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts that explained complex topics in an accessible way.
On the final day, participants reflected on the lessons learned and signed local engagement pledges. They committed to organizing educational activities in their communities – presentations in schools, sessions in libraries or youth centers – as well as creating media materials to be published in Ziarul de Gardă, shared on social platforms, or showcased in the Anticorruption exhibition.
“What I liked most at this camp was identifying fake news. I really enjoyed the deepfake exercise, and I think I’ll develop this topic further in my community center,” said Alexandru Melnic, one of the participants. “During this camp I made amazing friendships and met some truly inspiring, talented journalists who shared their experience. I really admire their courage,” said Alina Zagorean.
Ana Ignatiev said she joined the camp to learn about information resilience because disinformation is a serious issue in her hometown: “I felt the need to come here, because there’s a lot of disinformation in my locality, and someone needs to truly know the truth.”
The Information Resilience Camp was organized by the Media-Guard Association in partnership with Ziarul de Gardă, with the support of the European Union.
