Mass media is trained to promote cooperation between Moldova and NATO

Dozens of Moldovan journalists have been trained in the first two days of this week,within a program: how to write about security and about the cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and the North Atlantic Alliance. A broadcasted press release by the host institution-Information and Documentation Center on NATOin Chisinau-announces that training would be necessary to ensure that security and defense to be correctly reflected in the mass media and that it will continue with activities for journalists scheduled until June. We discussed the goals and plans with director of IDC on NATO, Elena Mârzac.

Elena Mârzac: “The main objective of discussions is to facilitate direct journalists’communication with various experts on security issues, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials, and monitoring institutions representatives. Therefore, we invited NATO’s communication expert to identify the collaboration’s mechanism, how mass media could get a first-hand source of information. Another objectivewas the necessity of informing journalists about the course, the forms, and the prospects of cooperation with NATO. Because, we know very well that, the misunderstanding results from the lack of communication and consider stereotypes of perception of NATO’s image comes from the lack of discussion. And the issues we’ve identified are the lack of a common message from both State institutions and NGOs, and this lack from the speeches of politicians, decision makers. The NATO’s or security topics are often used in speculative purposes,during electoral periods, for voters’ manipulation. We, also, believe that it would be necessary by such projects to improve communication withcivil society and the general public through public information campaigns, by setting up partnerships, through some planned meetings, at least quarterly with the State institutions, to increase the degree of understanding and to eliminate prejudices, inviting experts to explain to citizens and representatives of State institutions, the benefits of our participation, for instance, to peacekeeping operations.So, dayby daylet’s counteract these prejudices.”

Europa Liberă:  Seems to be more and more interest from NATO to enhance cooperation with Eastern Partners, including Republic of Moldova, seems to be interest from Republic of Moldova to increase its partnership with NATO. We are talking about two new NATO’s initiatives to which Moldova will participate soon. In this context,what is the role of mass media? Elena Mârzac:«Mass media has become an important tool in promoting the security policies of the State and the role of the press would be to reflect objectively the cooperation’s benefits. I’ll give you one example: will follow opening of a NATO’s representative office here, in Republic of Moldova, so, before making news,media should inform themselves what is the role of a representation of this kind.Because many political forces will use this reason to say that NATO will expand, and that’s a new military base.

The press’srole, here, is to present the correct information. Because a NATO representative would not mean even an Embassy, but moresocial projects, attracting more investments, what,first of all,would benefit the population.So, it should be explained,be informed and we shouldn’t avoid topics, often uncomfortable, for some political parties. To be objective-this would be the role of mass media in promoting of this image. But, of course, with the help of State institutions, that have an information and communication strategy, which assumes that State institutions have to work very actively with mass media, in order to provide the correct information from the first source, from which the media should be able to promote this image of the State institution about the security subject.”

Text entirely taken from Europa Liberă