When art meets truth: National Institute of Justice held public lecture on disinformation and migration

What is disinformation? How do we recognize false information? What are their effects on vulnerable refugee or migrant groups? These are just a few questions that opened the dialogue with the students and teachers of the "Alexei Șciusev" School of Fine Arts in Chisinau at the public lesson organized to bring to the fore these essential themes of society.

The event took place on Thursday, March 20, 2025, as part of the republican fine arts contest "Through art we fight misinformation #TruthAboutMigration #YoungGenerationKnows", recently launched by the National Institute of Justice, the "Alexei Șciusev" School of Fine Arts, in partnership with the Council of Europe project "Strengthening the protection of human rights of refugees and migrants from the Republic of Moldova: phase II".

The director of the National Institute of Justice, Ramona Strugariu, initiated a discussion with the students of the School about the phenomenon of misinformation, about fundamental human rights and about the reality of contemporary migration, emphasizing the fact that this competition represents an original context for exploring given topics through creative expression.

Olimpiada Arbuz-Spatari, Director of the School of Fine Arts "A.Șciusev", and Tatiana Bedros, Senior Coordinator of the CoE Project "Strengthening the protection of human rights of refugees and migrants from the Republic of Moldova: Phase II" also spoke at the opening session.

Trainers Cristina Lupu, Executive Director of the Center for Independent Journalism from Romania, and Veronica Boboc, Executive Director of AO "Media Center for Youth" from the Republic of Moldova, interacted with young people through captivating presentations, questions and answers, offering relevant examples of the impact of manipulation, including on the perception of migrants and refugees. Students were encouraged to think critically, to analyze content in the virtual space with discernment and to use artistic creation as a means of countering prejudice.

Republican competition of plastic arts "Through art we fight misinformation #TruthAboutMigration #YoungGenerationKnows” is carried out on the basis of the Collaboration Agreement signed by the National Institute of Justice and the "Alexei Șciusev" School of Fine Arts. For more details, go to HERE.