Public Perception of False and Distorted Information Covered by the Media in Moldova

A survey conducted in September 2016 by IMAS on behalf of the Independent Journalism Campaign (IJC) found that 7% of respondents believed that the media in Moldova have a responsible behavior towards their audience, a number that has not changed since January 2016. In fact, 56% of respondents were dissatisfied with the lack of responsibility of the national media, a number that has also not changed since January 2016. The survey found that the majority of respondents (44.6%) were male, while 55.4% were female. The majority of respondents (87.1%) were Moldovan/Romanian, while 12.9% were from other ethnic groups. The majority of respondents (59.8%) lived in rural areas, while 28% lived in urban areas with a population of over 14,000 inhabitants. The survey found that the most common sources of information for respondents were television (44.6%), the internet (21.1%), and radio (14.1%). The survey also found that the majority of respondents (53.1%) believed that they were not well-informed about current events, a number that has increased by 10% since January 2016. The survey found that the most common forms of manipulation in the media were the dissemination of completely false information (57%), the provision of half-truths (19%), and the exaggeration of some facts (16%). The survey also found that the majority of respondents (70%) believed that they could identify when a piece of information was false or manipulative, a number that has increased by 9% since January 2016. The survey found that the majority of respondents (56%) believed that television news bulletins and TV news bulletins were the most likely to provide false information, followed by social networking websites (44%), blogs (44%), and online news websites (40%). The survey also found that the majority of respondents (53%) believed that the media outlets that manipulate Moldovans were the television stations (53%), followed by the online news websites (45%), and the social networking websites (32%). The survey found that the majority of respondents (75%) were aware of the concept of manipulation, but that there were significant differences in awareness depending on the respondent's social and demographic characteristics. The survey also found that the majority of respondents (70%) believed that they could identify when a piece of information was false or manipulative, a number that has increased by 9% since January 2016. The survey found that the majority of respondents (75%) were aware of the concept of manipulation, but that there were significant differences in awareness depending on the respondent's social and demographic characteristics