The Center for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation does not intend to, nor does it have the means to limit freedom of expression or dictate the editorial policy of media institutions. These assurances are provided by the director of the institution, Ana Revenco. According to her, the entity she leads is in the process of formation and is tasked with combating misinformation and coordinated actions that jeopardize the interests of the Republic of Moldova.
Ana Revenco rejects claims in the public space that the institution was created to impose censorship in Moldova and to combat press inconvenient to the government.
“The Center does not intend to, nor does it have the means to limit freedom of expression, dictate editorial policies, or determine the content that the media proposes for operationalization and message distribution. The Center will not deal with every piece of information, every topic present in the informational space. The Center is not a guardian of every word used to convey messages. The Center does not replace and will not decide on what the Government or Parliament will communicate. The Center does not have the function and will not act as a regulator in any domain related to the informational space,” said Ana Revenco on the “Paralela 47” show on Radio Moldova.
The head of the Center also states that the institution is in the process of forming a team and will aim to strengthen cooperation between institutions in the fight against disinformation, manipulation, and foreign interference, as reported by IPN.
“As a newly created institution, we are in the process of establishing it, which involves a set of bureaucratic actions. We hope that the structure will soon be approved in Parliament, and we are developing internal documents and job descriptions. The mission of the center will be to consolidate inter-institutional cooperation for better communication to citizens about the topics on the state institutions’ agenda. On the other hand, we will strengthen institutional efforts to combat disinformation, manipulation, and coordinated interests that aim to jeopardize or already endanger national interests,” said Revenco.
According to the law, the Center for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation is led by a director appointed by Parliament at the proposal of the President of the Republic of Moldova for a term of 5 years. Additionally, a Council will be established within the institution, consisting of 11 members designated by public authorities and civil society, which will evaluate the institution’s activities.