Moldovan president, leadership of Radio France Internationale, Deutsche Welle discuss combating information manipulation

President Maia Sandu today had a meeting with Marie-Christine Saragosse, the president of the French media group France Médias Monde, and Barbara Massing, the general director of Deutsche Welle.

The discussions focused on boosting joint efforts to counteract informational manipulation and foreign interference attempts, as well as promoting media literacy and advancing the regulation of digital platforms at the European level.

The head of state emphasized that disinformation stayed one of the most serious threats to democracies, affecting electoral processes and diminishing citizens' trust in public institutions. In the context, President Maia Sandu highlighted the essential role of independent media in combating falsehoods, by providing verified, accurate and easily accessible information to everybody. Additionally, the head of state stressed the importance of strengthening the informational resilience of Moldova, including through strategic partnerships with trusted international media organizations.

Deutsche Welle is Germany's international media service, whose programmes are broadcast in over 30 languages, including Romanian. Radio France Internationale is a French radio station that is part of the France Médias Monde group and broadcasts news in French and 17 other languages, including Romanian. The two media institutions have joined efforts in a strategic initiative - the Information Shield - which also includes joint journalistic projects aimed at audiences of Moldova and Romania, with the goal of providing high-quality media content and contributing to counteracting disinformation.